Tagged: Seth Smith

The Phils end their three-game losing streak as Cole Hamels once again pitches well against his home town team as the Phils defeat the Padres, 5-2.

Philadelphia_PhilliesThe Phils end their losing streak as Cole Hamels once more defeat his home town team as the Phils beat the Padres, 5-2.

The Padres took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Cameron Maybin hits an RBI single, knocking in Tommy Medica, who had started the inning off with a single, then stole second base, giving the Padres a 1-0 lead. The Phils took the lead in the top of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Darin Ruf, Dom Brown and Carlos Ruiz, and with nobody out, Freddy Galvis hits a two-run single, knocking in Ruf and Brown, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Ruiz up to second base. The Phils added to their lead two batters later, after Cole Hamels had hit a sacrifice bunt, 5-4, moving both runners up a base, putting runners on second and third, and with one man out, Ben Revere hits a two-run ground-rule double, scoring both Ruiz and Galvis, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Phils added an insurance run in the top of the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Ruf, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Brown’s single, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. The Padres got a run back in the bottom of the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Alexi Amarista hits an RBI single, scoring Maybin, who had earlier walked, then went to second base on defensive indifference, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Ken Giles struck out Seth Smith, swinging, for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (9-7, 2.47) got the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run on seven hits and a walk, while striking out nine. Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Ken Giles pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Eric Stults (7-17, 4.59) took the lost as he pitched just four and one-third innings, giving up four runs on six hits, as he struck out two. R. J. Alvarez pitched two-thirds of an inning, walking a batter. Joe Wieland pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out a batter. Leonel Campos and Alex Torres combines for two 1-2-3 innings, striking out a batter (Campos) between them.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Ben Revere (Single, Double, 2 RBIs), Darin Ruf (Single, Double) and Dom Brown (Singles) all leading the team with two hits each. Maikel Franco (Double), Carlos Ruiz (Single, RBI) and Freddy Galvis (Single, 2 RBIs) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had a walk (Chase Utley), a stolen base (Ben Revere (46)) and a sacrifice bunt (Cole Hamels) while the defense performed two double plays.

The Phils (70-82, 5th NL East) will conclude their four-game series with the Padres (70-81, 3rd NL West) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at 9:10 pm EDT (6:10 pm PDT) and will be played at Petco Park.  The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (9-12, 4.72), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 13, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up a run on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 2-1 win. He will be trying for his tenth win of the season, which would give his ten or more wins for the third straight season. The Padres will counter with Robbie Erlin (3-4, 4.89) , who is coming off a no-decision against the Rockies on September 7, as he pitched two innings in relief, giving up three runs on five hits, in the Padres’ 6-0 lost. He will be trying to give the Padres the series win. The Phils will be trying to leave San Diego with a split.

The Phils come from behind to win their second straight extra-inning game as they defeat the Rockies in 10 innings, 4-3.

A Shane Victorino homer in the top of the tenth lead the Phils to their second straight extra-inning victory as they defeat the Rockies, 4-3.

The Rockies took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Seth Smith hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the season, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, giving the Rox a 2-0 lead. The Phils tried to get onto the scoreboard in the third as, with a man on first, and with two men out, Chase Utley hits a ball deep to right field which just missed being a home run, and instead hit against the wall for a double, as Shane Victorino, who was on first. after being safe on a force out, 1-6-4, as Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier been hit by a pitch, was wiped out as second base as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki made a barehanded catch on a ball deflected by Rockies’ starter Jhoulys Chacin, before throwing to second base, for the inning’s second out, did not get a good jump from first as he thought that the ball was going to leave the park, before being sent home, and was tagged out at the plate on a strong throw by Smith to second baseman Mark Ellis, who then threw the ball home to catcher Chris Iannetta, who then tagged out Victorino for the inning’s final out, 9-4-2. The Phils finally got on the board in the seventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, scoring Hunter Pence, who had just singled, cutting the Rockies’ lead down to 2-1. The Rockies got the run back in their half of the seventh as Iannetta hits a lead-off home run, his eleventh home run of the season, giving the Rox a 3-1 lead. The Phils tied the game up at three-all in the ninth as, with one man on, and with two men out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. hits a pinch hit two-run home run, his seventh home run of the season, and his first pinch hit home run of his career, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled. The Phils then took the lead in the tenth as Victorino hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. That would end up being the final score as Ryan Madson collected his nineteenth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 tenth, getting Tulowitzki to pop out to Utley for the final out.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five. Michael Stutes pitched two innings, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while he struck out a batter. Antonio Bastardo (5-0, 1.31) got the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Ryan Madson recorded his nineteenth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 tenth. Jhoulys Chacin also received a no-decision as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on six hits and two walks, while striking out two. Matt Reynolds recorded his fifteenth hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Rafael Betancourt recorded his nineteenth hold of the year as he also pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Hudson Street blew his third save opportunity of the year as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, as he struck out one. Rex Brothers (1-2, 3.74) to0k the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while he struck out two.

The Phils had ten hits in the ballgame, with Shane Victorino (Single, Home Run, RBI), Chase Utley (Single, Double) and Carlos Ruiz (Doubles) all leading the team with two hits each. Hunter Pence (Single), Raul Ibanez (Double, RBI), Placido Polanco (Single) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, 2 RBIs) had the other four Phils’ hits.

The Phils (69-39, 1st East) will continue their series with the Rockies (51-58, 3rd West) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Coors Field and will start at 8:40 pm EDT (6:40 CDT). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52), who is coming off a lost against the Giants on July 28, as he went six and a third innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 4-1 lost. He will be out to end his possible final start of the season on a high note before going back to the bullpen as Roy Oswalt prepare to return to the starting rotation. The Rockies will counter with Aaron Cook (2-5, 5.05), who is coming off a win against the Dodgers on July 27, as he pitched seven shut out innings, giving up just six hits and two walks, as he struck out two, in the Rockies’ 3-1 win. He will be out to even the series. The Phils will be out to win their latest series.

Phils hold on to win a wild shoot out in Denver, as they defeat the Rockies, 12-11.

The Phils, after trailing early, takes the lead after a nine run outburst in the seventh, before hanging on to win a wild on in Denver, as they defeat the Rockies, 12-11.

The Rockies took the lead in the second as, with two men on base, and with nobody out, Chris Iannetta hits a three-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, scoring Melvin Mora, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second on Chase Utley’s fielding error of Seth Smith’s grounder, and Smith, who was safe on Utley’s error, giving the Rockies a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, with two men out, Dexter Fowler made it a 4-0 Rockies’ lead with a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season. The Phils cut the Rockies’ lead to 4-1 in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier singled, and then moved up to second on Ianetta’s passed ball. The Phils then made it a 4-2 Rockies’ lead in the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via Joe Blanton being hit by the pitch, then moving up to second as Eric Young, Jr. threw the ball away as he tried to forced him out at second on a Jimmy Rollins grounder, and then a single by Placido Polanco, moving both men up a base, and with one man out, Utley hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Blanton. The Rockies got both runs back in their half of the fifth as Carlos Gonzalez started the inning off with a lead-off home run, his thirty-first home run of the year, giving the Rockies a 5-2 lead. Four batters later, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Smith hits an RBI single, scoring Troy Tulowitzki, who had earlier walked, and then went to third on Mora’s single, making it a 6-2 Rockies’ lead, while sending Mora, who had just singled, up to second base. The Phils cut the Rockies’ lead back down to 6-3 as, with the bases once again loaded, via single by Werth and Ibanez, a 4-6 force out on a Shane Victorino grounder, wiping out Ibanez at second, a stolen base by Victorino and a walk by Brian Schneider, and with one man out, Werth scored as pinch hitter Mike Sweeney is hit by a pitch, while both Victorino and Scheneider moved up a base. The Rockies got the run back in their half of the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Chris Nelson, a bunt single by Young, Jr., moving Nelson to second base, and then a bunt single by Fowler, moving up a base both Nelson and Young, Jr, and with one man out, Tulowitzki hits an RBI infield single off of Antonio Bastardo’s glove, scoring Nelson, making it a 7-3 Rockies lead, while moving Young, Jr. to third and sending Fowler to second. Then in the seventh the Phils’ offense exploded for nine runs, taking the lead. The Phils made it a 7-4 Rockies’ lead as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, who had earlier doubled. After Utley moved up to second on a Joe Beimel wild pitch, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his twenty-fifth home run of the year, making it a 7-6 Rockies’ lead.  One batter later, Werth tied the score at seven-all as he hits a solo home run, his nineteenth home run of the year. Three batters later, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, knocking in Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Schneider’s single, giving the Phils an 8-7 lead, while sending Schneider, who had just singled, up to second base. Three batters later, after the Phils had loaded up the bases again, as Rollins hits a single, moving both Schneider and Francisco up a base, and now with two men out, Utley hits a grand-slam home run, his twelfth home run of the year, scoring Schneider, Francisco and Rollins, giving the Phils a 12-7 lead. The Rockies came back in their half of the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Jonathan Herrera hits an RBI single, scoring Smith, who had earlier doubled, making it a 12-8 Phils’ lead. Two batters later, with runners on second and third, and with still one man out, Fowler hits an RBI single, knocking in Herrera, who had stopped at third on Young, Jr.’s double, and Young, Jr., who had just doubled, making it a 12-10 Phils’ lead. The Rockies made it a 12-11 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with runners on the corners and with nobody out, Tulowitzki hits into a force out, 4-6, knocking in Fowler, who was earlier safe at first on Howard’s fielding error, then went to third on Gonzalez’s single, while Gonzalez, who had just singled, was wiped out at second. After Todd Helton is walked, moving Tulowitzki up to second base, Brad Lidge finally recorded his nineteenth save of the season by striking out Clint Barmes, swinging, before getting Ryan Spilborghs to hit into a force out, 5-unassisted, as he beat Tulowitzki to the third base bag.

Joe Blanton receives a no-decision as he pitches four and a third innings, giving up six runs, four of which were earned, on ten hits and two walks, while he struck out three. David Herndon pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both man that he would face. Antonio Bastardo gets the win as he pitches an inning, giving up a run on four hits, while striking out one. His record is now 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA. Chad Durbin pitches an inning, giving up three runs on four hits, striking out a batter. J.C. Romero records his eighth hold of the season as he pitches a third of an inning, walking a batter, Jose Contreras receives his eleventh hold of the year, as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Brad Lidge records his nineteenth save of the season as he gives up an unearned run on a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jhoulys Chacin also receives a no-decision as he pitches five and a third innings, giving up three runs, only one of which were earned, on five hits, two walks and two hit batters, while striking out three. Matt Belisle records his seventeenth hold as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, walking a batter and hitter a batter. Joe Beimel pitches to three batters, giving up three runs on three hits and a wild pitch. Manny Delcarmen blew his third save attempt of the season before taking the lost as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up four runs on four hits. His record is now 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA. Matt Reynolds pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits. Rafael Betancourt and Huston Street pitches two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Betancourt), while striking out two (one each).

The Phils had fifteen hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the team with three hits, two singles and a solo home run, knocking in a run. Placido Polanco, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino each followed with two hits apiece, with Polanco’s hits being a single and a double, Utley’s hits being a single and a grand-slam home run, knocking in six runs, one by a sac fly, while Ibanez and Victorino’s hits were all singles, as Ibanez knocks in a run. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Brian Schneider and pinch hitter Ben Francisco had the other four Phils’ hit, with Rollins, Schneider and Francisco’s hits being singles, with Francisco knocking in a run, while Howard’s hits was a two-run home run. Mike Sweeney had the other Phil RBI, as it came in as he was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded. The Phils’ offense had a one-inning scoring outburst, after scoring one run for three straight innings to close the gap.

The Phils (76-58, 2d East) begin a three-game series with the Brewers (62-71, T-3rd Central), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (8-10, 3.31), who is coming off a win against the Padres on August 29, as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up just four hits, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 5-0 win. In his last three starts, his record is 1-1 with a no-decision, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up seven runs on sixteen hits and two walks, while striking out thirteen. Hamels will be trying for his second straight win, while hoping that the offense will continue to score runs for him. The Brewers will counter with Chris Capuano (2-2, 5.06), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on August 28, as he went three innings, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Brewers’ 8-7 win. In his last three appearances, his record is 1-0 with a no-decison, as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out nine. He will be trying to recover from his outing against the Pirates. The Phils will be out to win their last series against a non-Eastern Division rival.

Phils win their fifth game in a row as they defeat the Rockies, 5-4.

The Phils win a close one as Brad Lidge records his second straight save with the bases loaded as the Phils sweep the Rockies, 5-4.

The Rockies took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jason Giambi hits an RBI single, scoring Jonathan Heerera, who had earlier walked, and had moved to second base on Carlos Gonzalez’s single, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead, while sending Gonzalez, who had just singled, on to second base. Ryan Spilborghs made it 2-0 Rockies with an RBI single, knocking in Gonzalez, while sending Giambi to second. The Phils would tie the game up at two-all in the second as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brian Schneider hits a two-run triple, scoring Ross Gload, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Greg Dobbs’ double, and Dobbs, who had just doubled. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, as Phils’ starter Joe Blanton had reached first on a miss catch error committed by first baseman Giambi, and with still one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits a grounder to Giambi, who then committed his second error of the inning, this one a throwing error to second base, allowing Blanton to reach second, and Rollins to reach first, while Schneider scores, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Dobbs, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Schneider’s walk, then went to third on pinch hitter Cody Ransom’s sacrifice bunt, 5-4, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead, while sending Schneider, who had earlier walked, and had gone to second on Ransom’s sac bunt, to third base. The Phils then made it 5-2 Phils as Raul Ibanez follows with an RBI single, scoring Schneider, while sending Polanco up to second base. In the ninth, the Rockies made it a close game as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Seth Smith hits a two-run home run, his fourteenth home run of the season, knocking in Miguel Olivo, who had earlier doubled, to make it a 5-4 Phils’ lead. The Rockies then loaded up the bases on a Herrera walk, a Gonzalez single, sending Herrera to second, a Brad Lidge wild pitch, sending the runners to second and third, and an intentional walk to Giambi, with still two men out, before Brad Lidge recorded his tenth save by getting Spilborghs to ground out, 1-3, for the final out.

Joe Blanton gets the win as he goes six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out two. His record is now 4-6 with a 5.85 ERA. Chad Durbin gets his eighth hold of the year as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. J.C. Romero collects his sixth hold of the season as he also pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Brad Lidge receives his tenth save of the year, as he pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, two walks and a wild pitch. Jason Hammel took the lost as he pitches only five and a third innings, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits and three walks, while striking out eight. His record is now 7-6 with a 4.34 ERA. Randy Flores and Taylor Buchholz combines for two and a third scoreless innings, giving up just one hit (Flores) and a walk (Buchholz), while striking out three (Flores (1), Buchholz (2)) between them.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Placido Polanco and Greg Dobbs leading the team with two hits each, with Polanco’s hits being two singles, knocking in a run, while Dobbs’ hits were a single and a double, scoring two runs. Raul Ibanez, Ross Gload, Shane Victorino and Brian Schneider had the other four Phils’  hits, with Ibanez, Gload and Victorino’s hits being singles, with Ibanez knocking in a run, while Schneider’s hit was a two-run double. Jimmy Rollins knocked in the other Phil’s run on a throwing error. The offense had enough hits yesterday to squeak out the win.

The Phils (53-46, 2nd NL East) continue their home stand with a three-game set against the Diamondbacks (37-62, 5th NL West) starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.40), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on July 22, as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up just a hit and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 2-0 extra-innings win. In his last three starts, he had gone 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he had pitched twenty-two and two-thirds innings, giving up just one run on fifteen hits and six walks, while striking out sixteen. He will be going for his eighth win, while trying to pitch his four straight game of giving up one run or less to his opponents. The D-backs will counter with Rodrigo Lopez (5-9, 4.58), who is coming off a lost against the Giants on July 22, as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the D-backs’ 3-0 lost. In his last three starts, his record is 1-2, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up thirteen runs, twelve of which were earned, on sixteen hits and four walks, while he had struck out thirteen. He will be trying to end the Phils’ present winning streak. The Phils will be going for their sixth win in a row and their ninth straight win at home, while hoping to feast on the last place D-backs.

Roy Halladay is handed his first no-decision of the season before the Phils lose in the tenth as they fall to the Rockies, 4-3.

Roy Halladay is handed his first no-decision of the season as he gives up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, tying the game up at three-all, before he is taken out of the game, ending his streak of ten straight games of pitching at least seven innings. The Rockies then win the game in the tenth inning on a lead-off walk-off home run, giving the Rockies a 4-3 win over the Phils.

The Rockies took the lead in the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Brad Hawpe hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Carlos Gonzalez, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on a Seth Smith single, and moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt by Melvin Mora, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with a runner on first, and with no outs, Jayson Werth hits an RBI double, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled. The Phils then took the lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Placido Polanco, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. Three batters later, the Phils added to their lead as, with the bases now loaded via a single to Howard, sending Utley up to second, and Werth being hit by a pitch, moving up a base both Utley and Howard, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a sac fly, knocking in Utley, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Rockies would then tie the game up at three-all in the seventh as, with two men on, and with one man out, Hawpe hits an RBI triple, knocking in Gonzalez, who had earlier singled, was safe at second on Howard’s throwing error on a force out attempt on a Eric Young, Jr., grounder, and Young, Jr., who was safe on a force out attempt at second base. The Rockies then won the game in the bottom of the tenth as Miguel Olivo hits a lead-off solo home run, his sixth home run of the year, to give the Rockies a walk-off 4-3 win.

Roy Halladay receives a no-decision as he goes six and one-third innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on ten hits and two walks, while striking out four. J.C. Romero pitches two-third of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Danys Baez pitches an inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Chad Durbin took the lost, as he pitches an inning plus one batter, giving up a run on one hit and a walk, while striking out one. His record is now 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Aaron Cook also pitches a no-decision, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three. Randy Flores pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Matt Belisle pitches an inning and a third, giving up a hit, while striking out three. Manuel Corpas pitches two-third of an inning, giving up no runs. Joe Beimel got the win as he pitches an inning and a third, giving up a hit. His record is now 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both leading the team with three hits each, all singles, with Utley knocking in a run. Placido Polanco and Wilson Valdez then followed with two hits apiece, with the two both getting a single and a double. Jayson Werth had the other Phil hit, a double, knocking in a run. Raul Ibanez knocks in the other Phil run with a sac fly.

The Phils (20-13, 1st East) have an off day tomorrow as the second game of the day/night doubleheader was rained out. The Phils’ next game will be against the Brewers on Friday night.

The Phils win a wild ballgame with a four-run ninth as they defeat the Rockies, 9-5.

A four-run ninth give the Phils the victory in a wild game as they defeat the Rockies, 9-5, at the start of a six-game road trip.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier tripled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Rockies tied the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jason Giambi hits an RBI single, scoring Seth Smith, who had earlier singled, and then went up to second base on Dexter Fowler’s sacrifice bunt. The Rockies took the lead in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Giambi hits a sacrifice fly, bringing in Smith, who had earlier doubled, and then went to third on Fowler’s ground out, 4-3. The Phils then tied it up at two-all in the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits into an RBI ground out, as he forces Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, out at second base, 6-4, while scoring Victorino, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Polanco’s single, and then went to third on Utley’s fly out to center. The Phils then took the lead as Howard scored on a double by Jason Werth and an fielding error by Smith, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Rockies tied the game up at three-all in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with no one out, Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick balked in Smith, who had earlier tripled, while sending Fowler, who had just walked, up to second. The Rockies then took the lead as Brad Hawpe hits an RBI single, knocking in Fowler, giving the Rockies a 4-3 lead. The Phils then retied the game at four-all in the sixth as Carlos Ruiz hits a lead-off home run, his second home run of the year. The Phils then took the lead as, with a runner on third, via a triple by Victorino, his second of the game, and with two men out, Victorino scored on a Matt Daley’s wild pitch, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. The Rockies would tie the game up at five-all in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Giambi hits an RBI single, knocking in Fowler, who had earlier walked, and then moved up to second on Hawpe’s single, while Hawpe, who had just singled, went to second base. In the ninth, the Phils regain the lead as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Howard, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, and moved up to second on a Manuel Corpas wild pitch, giving the Phils a 6-5 lead, while sending Raul Ibanez, who had been intentionally walked, up to second base. The Phils then busted the game wide open as pinch hitter Ross Gload hits a three-run home run, first home run of the year, knocking in both Ibanez and Ruiz, giving the Phils a 9-5 lead. That would end up being the final score, as Jose Contreras got Melvin Mora to fly out to right for the final out.

Kyle Kenrick gets a no-decision as he pitches six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out a batter. J.C. Romero records his first blown save of the season as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. David Herndon pitches two-thirds of an inning, as he got the only batter he would face to hit into a doubleplay. Danys Baez would get the win as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and hitting a batter, while striking out one. His record is now 1-1 with a 6.43 ERA. Jose Contreras also pitches a scoreless inning, as he gives up a hit. Greg Smith also receives a no-decision as he pitches five and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs, four of which are earned, on eight hits and four walks, while striking out six. Matt Daley pitches a third of an inning, as he threw a wild pitch. Joe Beimel pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Matt Belisle pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a walk. Randy Flores pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Manuel Corpas took the lost as he pitches an inning, giving up four runs on two hits, a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch, while he strikes out one. His record is now 1-2 with a 3.18 ERA.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the team with four hits, three singles and a solo home run, knocking in two runs. Shane Victorino and Chase Utley both follow with two hits, with both of Victorino’s hits being triples, while both of Utley’s hits were singles. Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and pinch hitter Ross Gload getting the other four Phils’ hits, with Polanco and Howard’s hits being singles, Werth’s hit being a double and Gload’s hit being a pinch hit three-run home run. Polanco and Howard knocked in the other two Phils’ RBIs, while one Phil run came in on a wild pitch, while the other scored because of a fielding error.

The Phils (20-12, 1st East) will continue their three-game series with the Rockies (15-17, 3rd-T West) later this evening. The game will be played at Coors Field and will start at 8:40 pm Eastern (6:40 pm Mountain). The Phils will send out their ace Roy Halladay (6-1, 1.45), who is coming off a win against the Cardinals on May 6, where he went seven innings, giving up an earned run on seven hits and three walks, while striking out nine batters, in the Phils’ 7-2 win. He will be trying for his seventh win of the season, while trying to see if he can pitch well in Denver. The Rockies will counter with Aaron Cook (1-3, 6.03), who is coming off a no-decision against the Padres on May 5 as he pitched five innings, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Rockies’ 6-5 win. He will be trying for his second win of the season. The Phils will be trying to win another series while trying to give their ace another win.

The Phils are unable to come back from an early hole as they lose to the Rockies, 5-4. The divisional series is now tied at one game apiece.

The Phils are unable to pull off a come from behind win after being put behind early as they lose to the Rockies, 5-4. The series now go to Colorado with the series tied at one to one.

The Rockies took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Todd Helton scored Carlos Gonzalez. who had earlier singled, stole second base after being picked off by Phils’ starter Cole Hamels, as Ryan Howard’s throw to second wasn’t in time, and then moved to third on Dexter Fowler’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, on a fielder’s choice grounder to Hamels, as Gonzalez beat Carlos Ruiz’s tag, while Helton was safe at first. The Rockies then increased their lead in the fourth as, with a man on, and with two men out, Yorvit Torrealba hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the post-season, knocking in Hilton, who had earlier singled, making it 3-0 Rockies. The Rockies then made it 4-0 in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one out, Fowler hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Rockies’ starter Aaron Cook, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Gonzalez’s double, while Gonzalez, who had earlier doubled, would move up to third. The Phils then started to come back in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier hit an infield single and had moved up to second on second baseman’s Clint Barmes’ throwing error, and then went to third on Chase Utley’s single, making it a 4-1 Rockies’ lead, while sending Utley, who had earlier singled, up to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on second and third, and now with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Utley and Howard, making it a 4-3 Rockies’ lead. The Rockies then added a run in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a Ryan Spilborghs double, Barmes hitting a sacrifice bunt, in which Joe Blanton, who was pitching in relief of Hamels, tried to throw Spilborghs out at third, but was unsuccessful, while Barmes would be safe at first, and an infield single for pinch hitter Seth Smith, off of J.A. Happ’s knee, after he was brought in in relief of Blanton, and with one man out, Fowler hits his second sac fly of the game, scoring Spilborghs, giving the Rockies a 5-3 lead, while sending Barmes over to third. The Phils would get the run back in the eighth as, with two men out, Jayson Werth hits a solo home run, his first home run of the post-season, making it a 5-4 Rockies’ lead. The Phils made a last threat to tie the game in the ninth, with two men on base, with Cliff Lee on second, pinch running for Matt Stairs, who had earlier gotten on base with a pinch hit walk, and Jimmy Rollins on first with a single, moving Lee up to second, with two men out. But Victorino would end the game by lining out to Barmes for the final out.

Cole Hamels took the lost, as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while he struck out five. His divisional series record is now 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. Joe Blanton pitched an inning plus two batters, giving up a run on one hit, as he struck out one. J.A. Happ pitched to one batter, giving up a hit before taken out for an injury. Scott Eyre pitched an inning, striking out a batter. Brett Myers pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two walks and hitting a batter. Antonio Bastardo pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man he would face. Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Aaron Cook got the win, as he went five innings plus three batters, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four. His record in the divisional series is now 1-0 with a  5.40 ERA. Jose Contreras converted his first hold as he pitched an inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Matt Belisle received a hold as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Rafael Betancourt received a hold as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Franklin Morales recieved a hold as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the one man he would face. Huston Street recorded his first save of the post-season as he gave up only a hit and a walk.

The Phillies got eleven hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with three hits, all singles. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez both followed with two hits apiece, with one of Howard’s hits being a double, as between them they knocked in three of the Phils’ runs (Howard (1), Ibanez (2)). Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz had the other four Phils’ hits, with Werth’s hit being a solo home run. Between them, so far, Howard, Werth and Ibanez has been the Phils’ offense, with a combined record of eleven for twenty-three, with six singles, three doubles, a triple and a home run, with eight RBIs (Howard (2), Werth (2) Ibanez (4)) and six runs scored. The only other Phil hitting, at the moment, is Victorino, who is hitting four for nine, with three singles and a double, but with only one run scored. If Rollins and Utley can get their bats to wake up, especially Rollins, if he would become a bit more selective in his pitch count, the Phils might still have a chance to win the series, if they can get men on base for the presently hot middle part of their line-up.

The Phils (1-1) will now journey to Denver to play games three and four of the divisional series with the Rockies (1-1). The third game is to be played on Saturday, weather permitting, at Coors Field, and is suppose to start at 9:37 pm Eastern (7:37 pm Mountain). The Phils still have yet to announce their starter for game three, although it will most likely be Pedro Martinez. The Rockies’ starter will be Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33), who is coming off a no-decision against the Dodgers on October 4, as he pitched two innings in relief, giving up just two hits, while striking out two, in the Rockies’ 5-3 lost. He will be trying to give the Rockies the lead in the series. The Phillies will be trying to come back from the lost, while coming out smoking at the start of game three.

Lee comes to his new home and thrills the fans with a quality start as the Phils defeat the Rockies, 3-1.

Cliff Lee comes to the Bank and thrill his new fans with a seven inning quality start, as the Phils defeat the Rockies, 3-1. They now hold a seven games lead in the NL East over a Marlins team that had just been swept by the lowly Nats for three games this weekend.

The Rockies took a quick lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and nobody out, Todd Helton hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Dexter Fowler, who lead-off the game with a double and then went to third on Seth Smith’s single, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied it up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Shane Victorino’s ground out, 4-3. The game then turned into a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Cliff Lee, who would give up another three hits for a total of five in the first five innings, but would otherwise keep the Rockies off the scoreboard, while the Rockies’ starter Aaron Cook would give up four more hits for a total of five after four innings. The Phils would then take the lead in the fifth as Paul Bako hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils would then increase their lead three batters later as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Victorino hits a chopper to Rockies’ second baseman Clint Barmes, with Rollins, who had just tripled, running for home on the crack of the bat. Rollins would be safe at home plate, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, as Barmes made a wide throw that went past the catcher for a fielder’s choice, allowing Victorino to be safe at first base. That would be all the run support that Lee would need, as he kept the Rockies quiet for the next two innings, as he gave up only one more hit, before handing it over to the bullpen, which threw two scoreless innings, as Brad Lidge nailed down his twenty-first save of the year in the ninth.

Cliff Lee got the win, his second as a Phil since the trade, as he went seven innings, giving up only a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out nine. His record is now 9-9 (2-0) with a ERA of 2.95 (1.13). Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning as he recorded his seventeenth hold, giving up just a hit, while striking out one. Brad Lidge recorded his twenty-first save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit, as he struck out two. Aaron Cook took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. His record is now 10-4 with a 3.93 ERA. Matt Daley pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Franklin Morales pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phillies had only seven hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the way with three hits, just being a home run short of hitting for the cycle, as he scored two of the three Phils’ runs, while he raised his batting average up to .245, as he continued to be hot since the start of July. Paul Bako is next with two hits, including his game-winning solo home run, knocking in a run. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez had the other two Phillies’ hits, both singles. Utley knocked in one of the other two Phils’ RBIs with a sac fly, while Shane Victorino knocked in the other one with a fielder’s choice ground ball. Although having few hits, the Phils were able to score the runs they needed, especially as Ryan Howard seems to be in a bit of a slump. Once Howard gets back to hitting the ball and laying off the junk, cutting down on the strikeouts, he’ll be able to carry the team once more on his back.

The Phillies (61-45, 1st) continue their home stand with a three-games series with the Marlins (55-53, 2nd 7 games behind), who had just been swept by the Nationals. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 7:35 pm, after the late Harry Kalas is inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. The Phils’ starter will be Joe Blanton (7-5, 4.02), who had pitched well in a losing effort against the Giants on August 1, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, as he struck out five, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. He will be going for his eighth win of the year while trying to start the series off on a positive note. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolasco (7-7, 5.00), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cubs on August 2, as he went seven innings, giving up only a run on four hits and a walk, as he struck out eight, in the Marlins’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to end the fish present three games losing streak. The Phils will be trying to put even more distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East this weekend.   

Cole Hamels gets crushed as the Phils are defeated by the Rockies, 10-3.

The Phillies starting rotation is still looking for its first quality start of 2009 as the Rockies crush the rotation’s ace, Cole Hamels, for seven runs, as the Phils lose to the Rockies, 10-3.

The Phils, for the first time this season, took the lead, as Pedro Feliz, in the second inning, hit a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jayson Werth, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third base on shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s fielding error of Raul Ibanez’s groundball, making it 1-0 Phillies. Hamels, meanwhile, threw two good innings, before getting pummeled by the Rockies in the third. Clint Barmes started the inning off with a double. Opposing pitcher Jason Marquis then followed him with an RBI single, scoring Barmes, tying up the game at one all. After Dexter Fowler is called out for batter interference on a bunt attempt for the inning’s first out, Ryan Spilborghs followed with a double, moving Marquis to third base, putting runners on second and third with one out. The next batter, Todd Helton, then hit into a 4-3 ground out for the inning’s second out, scoring Marquis, giving the Rockies a 2-1 lead, while sending Spilborghs over to third. Garret Atkins then followed with a two-run home run, his first home run of the season, scoring Spilborghs, and making it 4-1 Rockies. Brad Hawpe then got on base with a ground-rule double. Tulowitzki followed him with a triple, scoring Hawpe, and giving the Rockies a 5-1 lead. Chris Iannetta, the ninth batter of the inning, would finally end the nightmare by poping out to Carlos Ruiz in foul territory. The Phillies cut the Rockies’ lead to 5-2 as Feliz knocked in his second RBI of the game, this time with a 6-3 ground out, the second out of the inning, as he scored Werth, who had earlier doubled and had moved over to third base on an Ibanez 4-3 ground out. In the bottom half of the inning, the Rockies got the run back as Spilborghs doubled in Barmes, who had gotten on base with a single, had move over to second base on Marquis’ sacrifice bunt and had gone to third on Fowler’s 6-3 ground out, making it 6-2 Rockies. Helton followed with an RBI single, scoring Spilborghs, and giving the Rockies a 7-2 lead. After Hamels gave up a single to Atkins, putting runners on second and first, manager Charlie Manuel came to the mound and relieved Hamels, bringing in J.A. Happ. Happ ended the inning by getting Hawpe to ground out, 3-1, after earlier throwing a wild pitch which moved the runners up to third and second respectively. The score remained 7-2 until the bottom of the eighth, when the Rockies increased their lead with a three-run outburst. With Chad Durbin on the mound in relief, Fowler made it 8-2 Rockies with an one-out RBI single, as he knocked in Barmes, who had earlier reached base after being hit by the pitch and had moved up to second on pinch hitter Seth Smith’s walk, while Smith stopped at second base. Spilborghs then singled in Smith, making it 9-2 Rockies, while sending Fowler over to third, putting runners on the corners. Helton then followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Fowler, and giving the Rockies a 10-2 lead. In the ninth, Werth made it a 10-3 Rockies’ lead as he hit a lead-off home run, his first of the season, off of Rockies’ reliever Matt Belisle. But that would be it for the Phils, as Belisle got Ibanez to ground out to first, Greg Dobbs to strike out and Chris Coste to ground out, 6-3, to end the ballgame.

Cole Hamels took the lost for the Phils, as he pitched only three and two-thirds innings, giving up seven runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out only one batter. His record is now 0-1 with a high ERA of 17.18. J.A. Happ followed him and pitched an inning and a third of relief, giving up only one hit as he struck out one. Clay Condrey came to the mound next and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Chad Durbin then pitched an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, a walk, and a hit batter, while striking out one. Jason Marquis got the win for the Rockies, as he pitched a quality start, going seven innings, giving up just two runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out two. Marquis’ record is now 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Alan Embree followed with a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit and a walk. Matt Belisle then pitched an inning of relief, giving up a run on one hit, Werth’s home run, as he struck out a batter.

Jayson Werth led the team by going four for four, with two singles, a double and a home runs, scoring all three Phillies’ run, increasing his batting average to .333. Chase Utley also had a good day, as he went two for three with a walk, increaing his average to .429. Carlos Ruiz, who went 0 for 2, with his average dropping down to .273, was taken out of the game for an injury to his right oblique.

The Phillies (1-3) will continue their three-game series with the Rockies (3-1) in Denver with a night game tonight at Coors Field. The game will start at 8:10 pm Eastern Time (6:10 pm Mountain). The Phillies’ starter will be Brett Myers (0-1, 6.00), who will be looking for his first win of the young season, trying to improve on his start last Sunday against the Braves. The Rockies will counter with Jorge De La Rosa, who will be starting his first game of the year. Last season, in twenty-eight games, twenty-three of which were starts, he went 10-8 with a 4.92 ERA. This season, his record is 0-0 with a -.– ERA. The Phillies will be trying to tie the series with a win tonight.

Offense helps Eaton win his first game of the season, Phils trails Marlins by 1/2 game.

The Phillies’ offense was only able to get six hits during last night’s game, but they were able to make them all count as they defeated the Rockies, 6-1, giving Adam Eaton his first win of the year. The Phillies would score first when, with the bases loaded, and two outs, Geoff Jenkins would take the walk, scoring Shane Victornio who has gotten on base earlier with a single. The Rockies would tie the game in the top of the third, when Todd Helton hits a RBI single to left, scoring Willy Taveras. But, after Pat Burrell has thrown the ball back into the infield, the Phils would catch Helton overrunning first base, and get him into a run down, Jimmy Rollins to Chase Utley to Ryan Howard, who would then throw the ball home when he sees Seth Smith trying to score on the play. Howard’s perfect throw would nail Smith out at home plate, as Carlos Ruiz puts on the tag, keeping the score tied at one to one. The Phillies would then go to work in the fifth. After Greg Reynolds has walked both Rollins and Victorino, he would give up a three-runs home run to Utley, his seventeenth of the year, scoring both Rollins and Victorino, giving the Phils back the lead, 4-1. Three batters later, with Howard on first, via another walk, and with one out, Reynolds would give up another home run, this time to Jenkins, his fourth of the season, scoring Howard, to make it a 6-1 Phillies’ lead. That would be the ballgame, as the Phillies’ bullpen, after relieving Eaton in the seventh, would keep the now very frustrated Rockies from being able to score during the last three innings.

Adam Eaton gets the win, as he would go six innings of very aggressive pitching, giving up only one earned runs on four scattered hits, while striking out four and walking only one. His record is now 1-3 with a 4.99 ERA. Ryan Madson would pitch one and one-third innings of relief, giving up no runs on two hits. J.C. Romero would go two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs on no hits. Chad Durbin would pitch the ninth, giving up no runs on two hits. Greg Reynolds took the lost, pitching five and two-thirds innings as he gives up six earned runs on five hits, while walking eight Phils, four of whom would later score. He is now 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. Jason Grilli would pitch one and one-third innings, giving up no runs on no hits. Matt Herges would pitch one inning, giving up no runs on one hits.

With the win, the Phillies have completed their second series sweep of the year, with both of them coming at the expense of the Rockies. The Phillies have, in fact, swept their season series with the Rockies and have swept the Rockies for the first time since they have joined the Majors back in 1993.

The Phillies have now won four games in a row for the first time this season, while also being seven wins over .500 for the first time this year. With the six runs that they have scored last night, the Phillies have now scored seventy-three runs in their last eight games, as well as winning seven of their last nine games. During their last four games, Chase Utley has knocked in thirteen RBIs, including his career high six RBIs on Monday night, tying him for first place in RBIs with Lance Berkman of the Astros, while his home run puts him back into first place in home runs with seventeen, over both Berkman and Dan Uggla of the Marlins, both with sixteen home runs. Utley is also among the league leaders in total bases (2nd), runs scored (4th), hits (7th), doubles (8th-T) and slugging percentage (4th), while he is 15th in batting average. Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell are also among the league leaders in several offensive categories. Howard is among the leaders in home runs (5th-T), RBIs (8th-T), runs scored (10th-T) and walks (9th), while Burrell is among the leaders in home runs (7th-T), RBIs (18th-T), doubles (13-T), walks (2nd) and slugging percentage (7th). As a team, the Phillies are right now first in home runs (79), RBIs (284), total bases (874) and slugging percentage (.457), are second in runs scored (293), third in hits (511) and doubles (114), fourth in walks (203) and team on-base percentage (.341) and fifth in team batting average (.267). They are also seventh in stolen bases (38). 

The Phillies presently have the fifth best record in the National League at 31-24 with a .564 winning percentage. Their pitching staff is second overall in innings pitched (490.0), while sixth in team ERA (3.99) and their relief core is still leading the league in ERA (2.81), while it is seventh in saves (14), has given up the third least number of hits (146), the least runs (56), the least earned runs (52), the least home runs given up (10), and is tied with the Padres for the least hit batters (3).

The win puts the Phils a half game behind the now cooling Marlins, who have lost their game with the Mets in extra-innings, 7-6. The Phillies are now two games ahead of the Braves, who have lost their game with the Brewers, 1-0, as their road problems continue. The Phillies are still four games ahead of the fourth place Mets. As the Phillies and Marlins take the day off, the Braves will conclude their series with the Brewers, now in the top of the fifth inning, with the Braves winning, while the Mets will begin a four games series at home with the Dodgers.

The Phillies will start a three games home stand with the Florida Marlins (30-22) tomorrow night. The first game of the series will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils’ starting pitcher will be Brett Myers (2-6, 5.79), who is coming off of his fourth straight lost, this time at the hands of the Astros on May 24, where he pitched six innings, giving up four earned runs on eight hits, in the Phils’ 4-3 lost. Myers will be looking to get back to his winning ways, while hoping that the offense will give him some much needed runs support. The Marlins will be sending to the mound Mark Hendrickson (7-2, 4.14), who is coming off one of his worst starts, in spite of winning the game. He would go five innings against the Giants on May 25, giving up five earned runs on nine hits, in the Marlins’ 8-6 win, in the first game of a makeup doubleheader. He will be going for his eighth win of the season, while hoping that the Phillies’ bat won’t be aiming to up his ERA. The Phillies will be trying to win the weekend series with the Marlins so that they can regain the lead in the National League East, while hoping that the Braves and Mets will lose ground during their series at Cincinnati and against the Dodgers, respectively. 

Edit: The Braves have just won their game against the Brewers, 8-1. So the Phillies are now ahead of third place Atlanta by a game and a half as the Braves head to Cincinnati to play the Reds.