Ruiz Leads Phils Past Yankees In Extras

He threw out two runners on the bases, saved a run by blocking the plate, and he had three hits including the go ahead run in the 11th inning. Yes, that was Carlos Ruiz. Carlos Ruiz came into the game batting .271 and now after the game he is batting .302. Ruiz is really coming into his own as a top catcher in the National League. His defense has become top notch and his offense is becoming more consistent. Last year it seemed like he grounded into a double play in every possible opportunity. This year he has only grounded into two double plays and has been more clutch than ever.
C.C. Sabathia the starting pitcher for the Yankees today has not allowed an extra base hit to a left handed hitter in 27 starts. In the sixth inning it was a 2-1 lead for the Phillies and with Shane Victorino on first base Raul Ibanez doubled into right center field that ended Sabathia's extra base hit streak against left handed hitters and scored Shane Victorino and that gave the Phils a 3-1 lead. Then, in the bottom of the sixth we saw something that doesn't happen often in baseball. Mark Teixeira hit a broken bat homerun that brought the Yankees within one run of the Phillies. Brad Lidge was given another save oppurtunity but he could not prevail. With credit to Brad he only gave up two hits and both hits were groundball singles.
The game went into extra innings and in the eleventh with Chase Utley on second base Carlos Ruiz doubled down the third base line to score Chase. Clay Condrey the unsung hero of the Phillies pitchd two scoreless innings in relief and got the win.
UP NEXT
The Phillies finally comeback home after a long road trip to play the Florida Marlins. Jamie Moyer will look to continue his career dominance against the Marlins. In one start against the fish this year Jamie went six innings and only surrendered one run. That bolstered his career record to 12-1 against the Marlins. The Marlins will counter with 22-year-old Chris Volstad. In his last start against the Diamondbacks his went six innings and gave up four earned runs, but on the bright side he had a career high nine strikeouts.