Chooch Comes Up Clutch

Also posted on Phillies Nation.

Hits with runners in scoring position and 1-2-3 saves have not been the Phillies specialty as of late. The Phillies got both in their 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Martin Prado killed the Phillies in a previous series in Atlanta. He continued the beating with a first inning solo home run against Joe Blanton. That was all Blanton allowed in seven innings. He gave up three hits, walked four, and struck out seven.

In the fourth, Chase Utley tied the game with his 29th homer of the season. Over 46% of the Phillies runs have come via long ball.

The Phillies had a golden opportunity in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. Blanton didn't follow the "don't swing" policy and lined into a double play. Jimmy Rollins grounded out to end the threat. Luckily, an error and a timely hit put the Phillies ahead.

Raul Ibanez walked and Pedro Feliz successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt. However, Chipper Jones made a throwing error and everybody was safe. Carlos Ruiz's two-run double gave the Phillies the lead.

Ryan Madson has been struggling, giving up three earned runs, seven hits, and a walk in his last four innings. Matt Diaz was drilled and Prado singled to start the eighth inning. Chipper Jones' RBI single drove in a run, making it 3-2 with two on and nobody out. Jayson Werth made a strong throw to the plate, but it was a tad wide for Ruiz to make the tag. Charlie Manuel made the call to the bullpen to escape the jam.

Scott Eyre, who hadn't pitched since August 16, was called upon. Eyre got Brian McCann to ground into the unconventional 4-6-5 double play. Chase Utley made a fantastic pick, and flipped to Rollins. Heads up, Rollins fired to third. Feliz and Prado got into a pickle, which Feliz won. A triple play was almost turned after McCann was a little too far away from the first base bag.

Garrett Anderson grounded out, and Eyre left the mound with a nice first pump. Brad Lidge would do the same. After two quick fly outs, Greg Norton went around on Lidge's nasty slider to end the game.

The Phillies took the rubber match game of the series and extend their divisional lead to eight games. Their magic number decreases to 26.

Horrendous Hamels Performance

As seen on Phillies Nation.

In the 2008 postseason, Cole Hamels gave up a total of seven runs in six games. In four innings against the Atlanta Braves, he matched that total.

Hamels had an easy first and second inning, but the wheels fell off in the third. Jair Jurrjens, the Braves starting pitcher, started with a soft hit to right field. Gregor Blanco and Martin Prado did serious damage to the Phillies pitching staff on Tuesday and continued today. Blanco followed Jurrjens with a single and Prado doubled them both in.

Cole Hamels was lifted in fifth inning, but not before Chipper Jones and Brain McCann each drove in runs. A couple inherited runners scored, finishing off an ugly performance by Hamels.

The only thing worse than Hamels' performance was the offense. The lone run came without a hit, on a sacrifice fly. It wasn't until the seventh inning that the Phillies recorded their first hit, a single by Paul Bako. Just days after a near no-hitter by the Blue Jay's Ricky Romero, Jurrjens threw 6.2 hitless innings.

The Phillies finished the night with only two hits, the same number of errors the Braves committed and seven times less hits than the Braves. The 11-1 loss was disgraceful, putting the Phillies in a deeper hole as their National League Eastern division lead is cut down to a half of a game.


Call of the Day: Pat Burrell homered in the NLCS against the Dodgers.

"Line drive to left.. It's gotta chance.. OUTTA HERE! Pat Burrell with a line
drive, home run!"

The Braves Wear Prado

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Gregor Blanco and Martin Prado weren't supposed to be in the Braves' lineup. Due to injuries, they were given an opportunity to start and they did not disappoint. They went a combined 7-for-10 with four runs batted in, a walk, and three runs scored.

Prado and Blanco's performances were the opposite of Jimmy Rollins', who received his first start in four days. As usual, Rollins provided Gold Glove defense. But Braves fans chanted Rollins' average, and each time he stepped to the plate, the number chanted became lower and lower. Rollins finished the night 0-for-5.

The Phillies opened the scoring in the third inning on Ryan Howard's ground-rule double. The bounce over the fence proved to cost the Phillies. If it stayed in the yard, Chase Utley would have scored easily. Instead, he was forced to stop at third.

Utley homered to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead, but Prado responded with a solo home run of his own to tie it up. The Braves took a 3-2 lead on a ground-out in the fifth inning.

Joe Blanton pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out three. Derek Lowe was a little better. In seven innings, he gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks.

With two outs in the eighth inning, John Mayberry Jr. was called to pinch hit and answered with a game tying home run. If that wasn't exciting enough, Pedro Feliz followed with a long home run, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth with two outs and a runner on first, Ryan Madson attempted a pick-off throw, only for it to hit the runner and scoot toward the Braves dugout. The runner advanced, then scored on Prado's double down the line, making it a 4-4 game. If it didn't hit the runner, Howard would have held the runner on and the Phillies could have seen their way out of the inning.

In the bottom of the tenth, Prado haunted the Phillies once again. With two on and one out, Prado hit a line drive over the head of Mayberry. Game over. Braves win, 5-4.