Phils Win, Widen East Lead

Jair Jurrgens has really dominated the Phillies these past couple of years. Tonight Jurrgens was really good but the Phillies scored a few runs at the right time. In the fourth inning, Chase Utley hit a solo home run that tied the game at one.
Joe Blanton and Jair Jurrgens were both cruising through this game until the bottom of the seventh inning when Carlos Ruiz hit a double to left field that scored Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz and gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.
In the eighth inning the Braves got a run off of Ryan Madson to make the game 3-2. Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth to get the save and he was able to get the job done. He got a 1-2-3 save to end the game and extend the Phillies lead in the National League East to eight games.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels had not been himself for much of 2009, but he looked like his old self Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. He threw eight shutout innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks and struck out seven.
Giants:Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter on July 10 but since then he has made eight starts but only four of them have been quality starts. In his most recent start against the Diamondbacks Sanchez went seven innings and gave up just three runs.

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Phillies Get Crushed By Braves

Tonight was the first time that Cliff Lee has struggled in a Phillies uniform. He allowed six runs over five innings. They went on to lose 9-1 on a rain shortened loss. That is all there is to say about this game.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton pitched out of numerous jams Tuesday in a 6-4 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park. His biggest crime? A slider he hung over the plate to Steve Pearce, who hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Pirates a one-run lead. Blanton allowed six hits, three runs and two runs and struck out seven in six innings. He kept the Phillies in the game, which he has been doing for a few months. The Phillies actually took the lead in the ninth before Brad Lidge blew the game in the ninth.
Braves:Jair Jurrjens has allowed two or fewer runs in 19 of his 27 starts this year and has gone winless in 11 of those outings. He experienced this bad luck again on Tuesday, when he was damaged only by Adrian Gonzalez's solo homer during a seven-inning effort.

Howards Pair Of Longballs Guide Phils To Win

Pedro Martinez was the starting pitcher in tonight's game and Pedro has had some bad luck due to weather in his previous starts. Two starts ago his start was cut short due to rain. Tonight it was yet again cut short due to rain. After two innings Pedro Martinez left the game because of a rain delay and Jamie Moyer came in. Moyer did a really good job out of the bullpen, he pitched 4 1/3 innings and only gave up one run.
Ryan Howard is getting hot and tonight he got even hotter. Howard hit two home runs into tonight's game that propelled the Phillies to a 4-2 victory and gave them an eight game lead in the National League East.
After blowing a save on Tuesday against the Pirates Brad Lidge redeemed himself by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning and saving the game for the Phillies. I no Lidge blew his ninth save of the year on Tuesday, but I think he has pitched better of late. Tuesday was his fourth game in a row pitching and he should not of even been in the game.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee improved to 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in five starts with the Phillies after Monday's 6-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. In 40 innings, he has allowed 24 hits, six runs, three earned runs, six walks and zero home runs.
Braves:Derek Lowe's only previous start at Citizens Bank Park occurred on Opening Night, when he allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings. Considering he's allowed 20 hits in the 8 2/3 innings he's completed in his past two starts, he'd certainly enjoy the opportunity to experience another similar outing. But the Phillies will not let him do that to them again.

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Phils Fall On Late Homer

I really hate these kind of loses. I hate every game that the Phillies lose, but this type of lose really bothers me. J.A. Happ pitched eight innings and only gave up three runs and he gets credited with the loss. The Phillies are suppose to be known for there offense and they couldn't get anything starting tonight. They were only able to get two runs on the night, but they had multiple chances to blow this game wide open.
Going into the eighth inning the Phillies were winning 2-1 and J.A. Happ was pitching great. Happ gave up a lead-off base hit to Ronny Cedeno then he was able to get the next two hitters out. The next hitter was Garrett Jones and Jones hit a two-run home run to dead center field that gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead and eventually won the game. It was just an unfortunate situation for Happ because he had pitched so well all game and he made just one mistake and now he's going to feel that because of his one mistake he lost the game for the team. J.A. Happ let me tell you, this was not your fault.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez had hoped Sunday's start against the Mets would be a good step forward for him. Instead, he pitched well enough to win, but still found much to improve upon. He allowed seven hits, four runs, one walk and two home runs in six innings. He struck out five. Of course, his game got off to a bad start when Angel Pagan hit an inside-the-park home run that should have been no more than a triple, except Shane Victorino tried to convince the umpires that Pagan's ball had lodged underneath the outfield wall's padding.
Braves:While celebrating his 23rd birthday on Friday, Tommy Hanson will be given his first opportunity to face the challenges presented by Philadelphia's powerful lineup and Citizens Bank Park's cozy confines. Hopefully, the Phillies can give him a nice birthday gift by putting up a nice little six spot in the first inning.

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Howards Homer Beats Bucs In Extras

Cole Hamels was looking to get back on track tonight against the Pirates. I don't know if he got back on track but it sure looked like it. Over eight innings Cole did not give up any runs. After the fifth inning Cole was at 88 pitches. I thought unless he had a quick sixth inning he would be gone after six. He did have a quick sixth and he ended up pitching two more innings after that. Overall he threw 123 pitches.
In the first inning Chase Utley hit a solo home run that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. That was the only run scored in the game until the bottom of the ninth. Brad Lidge was unavailable tonight because he had pitched in the four previous games. Ryan Madson came in and gave up a solo home run to Brandon Moss that tied the game.
In the tenth, Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run that gave the Phillies lead back. Ryan Madson got sent back out there to redeem himself and he was successful into saving the game for the Phillies.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ is 10-2 with a 2.59 ERA following a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Mets. He could become the first Phillies rookie to win 11 games since Bob Walk in 1980. No Phillies rookie has had a lower ERA since Eppa Rixey's 2.50 ERA in 1912.
Pirates:In his last start, Charlie Morton did a terrific job at bouncing back from a horrific start that saw him allow 10 earned runs in one inning. He snapped a personal four-game losing streak in an outing during which he allowed just two runs in 6 1/3 innings. Personally, if the Phillies don't hammer this guy I am going to be a little shocked.

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Pirates Beat Phillies On Walk-Off Home Run

The Phillies have a never die attitude and that was shown tonight. The Phillies were down 3-2 going into the ninth inning and with one out Carlos Ruiz hit a double, then Ben Francisco doubled him in. Then, with two outs Shane Victorino hit a triple that scored Ben Francisco and the Phillies took a 4-3 lead.
Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth to get a save for the Phillies. He gave up a lead off single, then a wild pitch that moved the runner to second base. Next, a base hit was hit to right field and Jayson Werth mishandled it and the runner scored to tie the game a three. Andrew McCutchen came up and hit a walk-off home run to win the game for the Pirates.
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Phillies:This season has been a struggle for Cole Hamels. He is is 7-8 with the fifth-highest ERA (4.72) in the National League. He allowed 10 hits and four runs just five innings Friday in a 4-2 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. His pitch count has been so high, he hasn't been able to go deep into games. The batters are fouling off a lot of pitches. I don't know if hes tipping his pitches or what. If we were able to get Cole pitching the way he was last year our rotation would be unstoppable.
Pirates:Despite being hit by line drives to his left tricep and left shin, Paul Maholm tossed 7 2/3 innings his last time out and allowed just one run on seven hits. Though he had some nice bruises to show from the knocks, he is not expected to be affected by either injury in his next start.

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Cliff Lee Does It Yet Again

Another headline that says Cliff Lee does it again. I don't mind putting that because that means the Phillies have won. Cliff Lee did a great job again by pitching seven innings and giving up two runs but neither of them were earned. Cliff didn't have his best stuff overall today but he worked through seven great innings. This guy just does it all. Works fast, throws strikes, locates his pitches, and just the job done.
Ryan Howard got the Phillies off to an early lead today by hitting a three-run home run. Then, in the third inning, Howard hit a two-run home run and gave the Phillies a 5-2 lead. The Phillies added on one more run in the ninth inning when Raul Ibanez hit a double that scored Chase Utley. Then, Brad Lidge pitched another good outing. A 1-2-3 ninth, and this was Brad's third consecutive very good inning.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton allowed 10 hits and three runs in eight innings Thursday in a 12-3 victory over the D-backs. Blanton is 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA, and has been one of the team's best starters this season. He worked quickly and efficiently against Arizona, not walking a single batter.
Pirates:Ross Ohlendorf might be pitching as well as he has at any point this season. Now four starts into using a tweaked delivery motion, Ohlendorf is showing that his improved velocity and sustained command are no flukes. He has now won three straight and has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 starts. Now, he's facing a hot Phillies team and they can get any pitcher out of any kind of groove that a pitcher is in.

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Bruntlett Turns Unassisted Triple Play To End Game

The Phillies had a 9-6 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning and they were in serious trouble of blowing the game. Eric Bruntlett who had previously made two bad plays in the inning, made an unassisted triple play that ended the ball game. With runners on first and second with no outs, a line drive was hit to Bruntlett and he caught it then tagged second base, then Daniel Murphy the runner that was coming from first base was tagged out for the final out.
Let's back up to the beginning of the game so I can share with you all of the excitement that happened then. In the first inning, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino got on base by really good at-bats against Mets pitcher Oliver Perez. Then, when Jayson Werth came up, he fouled off seven pitches from Perez, then after all of those fouls he hit a three-run home run. After that Oliver Perez was rattled. Carlos Ruiz had two runners on base, then he crushed a fastball into the seats for a three-run home run. After the Phillies at-bat it was 6-0, Phillies.
Pedro Martinez was making his start against his former team the New York Mets. He struggled in the first three innings, giving up four runs overall. He settled down and ended up going six innings and giving up four runs. The Phillies added on three more runs and ended up winning the game 9-7.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four starts with the Phillies, who acquired him July 29 in a trade with the Indians. He has allowed just 18 hits and six walks in 33 innings. He has struck out 34. Opponents have hit .161 against him. He is 7-0 with a 1.09 ERA in his past seven starts, which include his final three with Cleveland.
Mets:Bobby Parnell's third start was a large step back from his second, as he allowed nine runs in three innings against the Braves on Wednesday. As in his first start, Parnell had trouble locating his offspeed pitches and was forced to go to his fastball too often, especially in an eight-run Atlanta second inning. The Phillies should do well against Parnell as long as they stay patient and make him make pitches. If they can get ahead in the count it will force Parnell to throw fastballs, and we all know what happens when opposing pitchers have to throw a lot of fastballs to the Phillies.

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Phils Even Series With Mets

J.A Happ did it again tonight. He threw another great outing. Happ went seven innings and only allowed one run, en route to his 10th win of the season. Happ had a lot of base runners on tonight but did a really good job of getting of out any jam that came his way. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless eighth inning, then it was Brad Lidge time. With a 4-1 lead going into the ninth inning Lidge was trying to get the save for the Phillies. He got the save and preserved the win for the Phillies. Lidge was very impressive in his inning of work tonight. He had an easy 1-2-3 inning. The Bridge to Lidge did there job tonight.
Phillie killer Tim Redding was pitching for the Mets tonight. He continued his dominance against the Phillies by throwing five scoreless innings. Redding had to come out of the game because he was on a pitch count. But as soon as the Mets bullpen came in, it was all downhill from there. Chase Utley hit a two-run home run, and then they added on two more runs.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez had been throwing well against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park until a severe storm rolled through and cut his night short. In three innings, Martinez allowed two hits, one run and one home run in three innings. He struck out three and retired the final eight batters he faced. The home run he allowed to Stephen Drew barely cleared the right-field wall -- a ball that would not have been a home run in most parks. Martinez gets to face the Mets, his former team Sunday at Citi Field.
Mets:Oliver Perez labored through five innings against the Braves on Tuesday, allowing four runs (on two home runs) in five innings while aggravating an injury in his right knee when covering first base. Even as his ERA jumped back over 6.00 for the season, Perez notched his first win in seven starts and evened his record on the season.

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Howard's Power Lifts Phils

Ever since July 5th, Joe Blanton has pitched exceptionally well. In his last eight starts his ERA is 2.01. He has went deep into every game in those starts and most importantly, Blanton has kept the Phillies into every game that he has pitched. Tonight, Blanton pitched eight innings and gave up three earned runs. He had a bit of a weird inning, in the fourth the Diamondbacks scored two runs. The first run was because of a misjudged fly ball by Ben Francisco that ended up costing the Phillies a run. After the fourth inning, Blanton didn't give up any more runs for the rest of the game. He didn't have his best stuff tonight, but Blanton battled and did just a great job.
The Phillies jumped on Doug Davis early tonight by scoring three runs in the first inning. But the Phillies really opened the game up in the sixth inning when Ryan Howard hit a monster homerun that went into the Diamondbacks bullpen. That made the game 10-3 and they went on to win the game 12-3. The Phillies completed the three game sweep over the D-Backs.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels didn't have his best command against the Braves on Saturday, but he pitched well enough to outduel the Braves' Kenshin Kawakami. Hamels went six innings and allowed just three hits, but one of those hits was a two-run home run. Hamels also walked four and threw 111 pitches, leading to an early exit.
Mets:Mike Pelfrey bounced back from his two previous subpar starts to give the Mets a quality effort on the hill on Sunday afternoon. The big right-hander didn't allow the Giants a hit until Fred Lewis doubled with two outs in the fourth inning and economically and effectively discarded San Franciso's lineup using a heavy dose of his 93-mile-an-hour fastball. Pelfrey exited after allowing two runs on five hits over 7 1/3 innings in the 104-pitch effort.

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Cliff Notes: Lee Dominates D-Backs

Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee. There's not much too say about him besides that he's amazing. Tonight was no different. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game tonight. Overall he pitched nine innings and gave up one unearned runs and two hits. He had a no hitter going into the sixth innings but gave up a single with one out.
The Phillies offense provided a lot of offense by hitting four homeruns in the game. Jayson Werth hit two homeruns,Howard hit one, and Utley also hit a two-run homerun. The Phillies won 8-1 and guaranteed a series win over the D-Backs.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton battled through seven innings against the Braves on Friday, scattering seven hits and allowing just one earned run to take a no-decision. The right-hander struck out just two batters and benefited from some brilliant defensive plays by his outfielders, but he left the game after the seventh with the score tied at 2. Blanton's only other career start against the D-backs came last season. In that outing, he allowed eight earned runs over three innings.
Diamondbacks:Doug Davis has put together five good starts in a row following a two-start hiccup in which he struggled. Davis walked a tightrope in his last outing, against the Dodgers, walking four and allowing six hits over six innings. True to form, though, he found a way to pitch his way out of jams and wound up allowing just three runs.

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After Rain Delay, Moyer Thirves In Relief

Pedro Martinez was making his second start with the Phillies. In the first inning Stephen Drew led off the game with a homerun. Now, the homerun was rather, cheap. It was one of those Citizens Bank Park homeruns. But then all of a sudden, in the third inning the rains came. The rain delay lasted one hour and six minutes. Pedro did not come back out for the fourth inning. Jamie Moyer came in, he was making his first relief appearance of the season. Moyer did a great job, pitching six scoreless innings.
The phils offense got started in the third inning, with some help from the Diamondbacks and there lack of defense the Phillies took the lead and never looked back. Jayson Werth hit his 25th homerun of the season and that is his career high in homeruns. Carlos Ruiz capped off the offense for the night by hitting a solo shot. The Phillies won 5-1 and took game one of the series.
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Phillies:In eight strong innings Thursday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Cliff Lee allowed six hits, one run and three walks and struck out eight. He is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three starts with the Phillies. He has allowed 16 hits, three runs and six walks in 24 innings.
Diamondbacks:Dan Haren pitched well in his last outing, against the Dodgers, allowing just one run on six hits over eighth innings and outdueling Clayton Kershaw. It was a good bounce-back game for Haren, who had struggled some in his previous four outings. Over that span, he allowed 16 earned runs in 23 innings -- not necessarily awful, but not up to the standards he set in the season's first half.

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Phils Take Two Out Of Three

After a rain delay the Phillies and Braves game finally started. J.A. Happ delivered another good pitching performance by pitching seven and 2/3 innings and only giving up one run. Happ has really been impressive since he has moved into the starting rotation and hopefully he will keep it up.
The Phillies only offense came from Ryan Howard tonight. Howard hit two homeruns in the game, a solo shot in the second, then a three-run homerun in the sixth.
In the ninth inning the Phillies were winning 4-1 and the Braves had three left handed batters coming up. So, Scott Eyre came in. He got the first two batters out then he gave up a walk. Brad Lidge then came in, and all he needed to do was get one out. Luckily, he did get that one out and the Phillies got the victory and took two out of three games from the Braves.
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Phillies:In his Phillies debut, Pedro Martinez allowed seven hits, three runs and one walk, striking out five in five innings during a 12-5 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. Martinez had made just three rehab starts after spending most of the season in the Dominican Republic before he faced the Cubs. Martinez considered the outing a good start to what he expects will be stronger performances in the future.
Diamondbacks:Jon Garland got a no-decision in his last start but deserved better. The right-hander allowed three runs -- two earned -- over six innings as the D-backs fell to the Mets, 6-4, at Chase Field. Not only was one of the runs against him unearned, but the D-backs missed many an opportunity to give Garland more than just a 1-0 lead through five innings.

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Lidge Blows Eighth Save Of The Season

Even though the Phillies had a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, they really didn't deserve to win this game. There offense was 1-12 with runners in scoring position, if they would of executed better they wouldn't of had to go to Brad Lidge.
Cole Hamels did a pretty good job today. It could of been better but his pitch count was high after six innings and left the game. Overall Cole pitched six innings and gave up two runs. Eyre and Durbin threw a scoreless seventh, then Ryan Madson threw a scoreless eighth. Then, Brad Lidge blew a save in the ninth inning and he was charged with the loss.
As I mentioned the offense did not do good today. The only positives from the offense was that Jayson Werth hit a homerun, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz both tripled.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ worked hard Tuesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He put two runners on in his first two innings and worked out of a major jam in the third before settling. In six innings, Happ allowed seven hits, two runs and four walks, striking out three. It wasn't his best effort of the season, but it showed he can fight through his struggles to keep the game close.
Braves:Javier is 5-0 with a 2.59 ERA over his past seven starts and the Braves have won eight of the last nine games that he's started. Vazquez has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his three starts against the Phillies this year.

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Phils Barely Hang On

If this game would of been played at Citizens Bank Park the outcome of the game might have been different. But luckily for the Phillies it was being played at Turner Field. The Braves hit many deep fly balls but they all stayed in the ballpark and Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth were there to catch all of them. Both of them played great defense tonight. Defense is probably the most underrated part of baseball. Without a good defense a team cannot win.
Joe Blanton has had some bad luck in his previous two starts. Tonight, Joe could not be credited with the win but he got through seven strong innings and only gave up two runs but only one of them was earned. In Joe's last seven starts he has only allowed a total of 10 earned runs. And he hasn't went less than 6 2/3 innings pitched in every one of those starts.
After Blanton came out of the game, the game was tied 2-2. In the ninth inning Ryan Howard hit a homerun to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Then everyone was holding there breath when Brad Lidge came in. Yet again, he could not make the save easy, but he did get it done. He left two men on base but Lidge got the save and preserved the Phillies victory.
Also, Brett Myers who had surgery on his torn right labrum on June 4, will be making a rehab assignment in Clearwater. If everything goes to according to plan, Brett will be in the bullpen for the Phillies. In 2007 when Myers was the Phillies closer he said he felt like he had "rockstar status" in the closers role.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels didn't speak to reporters after his latest start Aug. 8, when he allowed five hits, four runs and four walks in just 5 1/3 innings against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Hamels continues to look for some consistency. He is 0-2 with an 8.71 ERA in his previous two starts. He was 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his three starts before that.
Braves:Kenshin Kawakami was at his best while throwing a career-high 125 pitches and blanking the Dodgers over seven innings on Saturday. With the benefit of making this start with two extra days of rest, there should be less reason to worry about the fatigue he's experienced in his shoulder throughout the season. He allowed two runs in six innings against the Phillies on May 10.

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Cliff Lee Does It Again

Cliff Lee is a hero. Well, so far he has been. In his first three starts Lee has went a combine of 24 innings and has only allowed a total of three earned runs. Are chills running down your spine?
Today, Lee went eight innings and gave up just one run. Considering the wind was blowing out of Wrigley, Cliff did a great job. He also had a career high in pitches, 122. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth inning and hammered it down.
Ryan Howard had the big hit in today's game by hitting a three-run homerun to left field. The wind was blowing out to left so it just kept on going. Ryan has been scuffling lately so it was good to see him go opposite field.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton has pitched well recently. He allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings Friday against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, which actually was the most runs he had allowed since June 30 against the Braves in Atlanta. Blanton has a 1.87 ERA (nine earned runs in 43 1/3 innings) in his last six starts. He has a 2.46 ERA (24 earned runs in 87 2/3 innings) in 13 starts since May 21. Joe has had some bad luck in his last two starts because he has pitched well in both of them, but the Phillies offense was stagnant in both of his starts, which he was charged with loses in both outings.
Braves:Jair Jurrjens has struggled while making his past two starts against the Dodgers and allowing eight earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. Seven of those runs have been scored during the fifth inning. The 23-year-old right-hander had surrendered just five earned runs in the four starts that he'd made before these two outings. Jurrjens is 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies. In his two starts against them this year, he has worked 12 2/3 scoreless innings and surrendered just five hits. When Jurrjens has faced the Phillies this year they were not playing good (especially their offense).

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Pedro Gets Win Number One

The Phillies wasted no time getting Pedro Martinez a lead. In the first inning the Phillies scored two runs to give them a two-run lead. Pedro had a lead before he even got to the mound. That really must of calmed him down a little. The Phillies had a 4-1 lead going into the fourth inning and that was when their offense exploded. They scored eight runs in the inning. Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homerun, then later in the inning Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homerun.
Pedro Martinez was solid through four innings. In the fifth he ran into a little bit of trouble. He seemed to get tired during the inning. But overall he did a pretty good job. Five innings, three earned runs. With this offense that's not bad. Hopefully he can go deeper into games in the coming starts.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee has been everything the Phillies could have hoped since they acquired him from the Indians on July 29. In 16 innings with Philadelphia, Lee has surrendered 10 hits and two runs (1.13 ERA), striking out 15 and walking three. Hopefully for Cliff, the wind will be blowing during the game.
Cubs:Ryan Dempster snapped a four-game road losing streak with a 6-5 win at Coors Field Saturday night. He pitched into the seventh inning, but left after yielding a leadoff homer to pinch-hitter Clint Barmes. It was only Dempster's second earned run of the night. He threw 95 pitches, striking out three and walking none.

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Phils Win In Extras

The Phillies only got three hits tonight but that was all they needed. Cubs pitcher Rich Harden was pitching really well. Going into the sixth inning he was throwing a perfect game until he walked Carlos Ruiz with one out. Harden still had the no hitter going until Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homerun. Rollins' homer tied the game at two. Then, in the eighth inning Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol could not find the strike zone and he walked in a run and the Phillies took a 3-2 lead. It was Brad Lidge time, and Lidge started the ninth inning out by walking Kosuke Fukudome. After Ryan Theriot got him over to second, Milton Bradley hit a single to right field and Fukudome scored and the game was tied.
The game went to extra innings and the Phillies offense had shown no signs of life until Ben Francisco hit a solo homerun in the 12th. Chad Durbin then came in and closed the game out.
I must add that J.A. Happ pitched well in this game. Happ did not have his best stuff tonight but he worked through six innings and only surrendered two runs.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez, signed to a prorated $2 million contract last month, will make his Phillies debut. Jamie Moyer, whose 40 wins since 2006 leads the Phillies, has been moved to the bullpen. Martinez, 37, has not pitched in the Majors since last season with the Mets. Jamie Moyer is not happy about be demoted to the bullpen but he needs to realize that right now he is not giving the Phillies the best possible chance to win. The Phillies have to give Pedro a shot to see what he has. It is only fair to the Phillies team as a whole and Pedro Martinez.
Cubs:Wednesday's start against the defending World Series champion Phillies will be Jeff Samardzija's first big league start. Samardzija has compiled a 1-1 record and a 6.29 ERA in 16 appearances for the Cubs spanning 24 1/3 innings. He faced the Phillies on the road on July 21, pitching 1 2/3 innings of extra-inning ball until losing the game on a three-run homer in the 13th.

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Cliff Lee Does It All

Roy Halladay who? This tremendous outing by Cliff Lee will make the Philadelphia fans quickly forget about they guy they really wanted in Roy Halladay. Cliff Lee did it all tonight. He pitched a complete game and only gave up one run, he fielded his position beautifully, and he also swung a great bat. Cliff Lee had a no-hitter after 5 1/3 innings until Juan Uribe hit a fly ball to rightfield that just went fair. It was nice to give the bullpen a day off. Hopefully Cliff can do this a lot more often for the Phils.
Jayson Werth hit a solo homerun in the second inning and they Phillies weren't getting any clutch hitting. In the seventh inning, Jeremy Affeldt was having some control problems and Jayson Werth got a big single that scored two runs. The Phillies went on to win the game 5-1.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton has been phenomenal over the past two months. He tied his season high by lasting eight innings against the Cardinals on Sunday, allowing two runs and striking out six. In July, he has surrendered just four runs in 29 1/3 innings, good for a 1.21 ERA. He is 5-1 since May 9. The lone loss? He allowed two runs and struck out 10 Rays on June 24.
Giants:Tim Lincecum didn't allow an earned run -- he allowed two unearned -- in his complete-game effort Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high 15 batters. In fact, he's whiffed eight or more in nine straight outings. It's all keeping the right-hander on pace with teammate Matt Cain and the rest of the National League's elite pitchers.

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