Phillies Overpower Diamondbacks, Add to Win Streak
By: Mike Reisman
Finally. A truly good game for the Phillies. No Brad Lidge almost blowing a three run lead, no power shortage, just a nice high powered win. Just the way Phillies fans were used to.
The game started out shakily when Cole Hamels walked in a run on just the 6th batter of the game. Luckily he was able to work out of the jam. Damage control. The Phillies were able to get some momentum through base runners in the first two innings, but no runs. Then finally in the 3rd, Ryan Howard hit a single with runners on the corners to score Placido Polanco and tie the game. Two at bats later, Carlos Ruiz was walked, scoring another run. A lead, just what Cole Hamels needed. The next inning Hamels gave up a solo homer to Mark Reynolds. Tie again.
After the D-Backs took another lead in the 5th, the Phillies answered back with a Jayson Werth two run home run which scored Howard and put the Phillies back up 4-3. The Phillies switched pitchers in the 6th, with David Herndon replacing Cole Hamels. The D-Backs took full advantage of the switch scoring two runs to go back up by one.
That's when the Phillies exploded. Over the next two innings the Phillies scored five runs including a two run homers by Howard (in the 6th) and Cody Ransom (in the 7th). The game would end with a score of 9-4.
This game really boosted my confidence in the team, and if I could guess, I would say it boosted the rest of the fan bases confidence too. Though Hamels did not perform like he should have, the bats came alive again, showing it doesn't take a shutout to win. Not only that, but it shows that the Rockies series was not just the Rockies playing poorly but also the Phillies playing well. Not only is everyone confident, but the Phillies are now only 3.5 games out of the NL East, and 2 games out of the wild card. Maybe the playoffs are in sight.