What happened?
Pedro Feliz’s grand slam gave the Phillies an early lead as they went on to sweep the Pirates. They went 9-1 on the home stand and are 48-38 on the season.
Who did what?
J.A. Happ (W, 6-0) gave up one run in seven innings for the win. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four.
Jimmy Rollins went 1 for 3 with a double (21) and a run.
Chase Utley went 2 for 4 with a run.
Pedro Feliz went 2 for 4 with a double (18), a grand slam (6) and four RBIs.
Virgil Vasquez (L, 1-3) gave up five runs in 1.1 innings to take the loss. He allowed four hits and three walks, while striking out one.
Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a run.
Freddy Sanchez went 2 for 4 with a double (27) and an RBI.
Garrett Jones went 1 for 4 with a homer (5) and an RBI.
What does this mean?
Before Rodrigo Lopez threw the first pitch of this home stand on July 3, the Phillies were in a virtual tie for first place with the Florida Marlins. They were coming off a sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves, which capped an uncharacteristically poor 3-6 road trip where they seemingly couldn’t hit, pitch, field, or do their own laundry.
In other words, nothing went well for them away from Philadelphia.
So when they began a 10 game home stand at the not so friendly confines of Citizen’s Bank Park, things were looking bleak. After all, they squandered their lead in the division, the starters were struggling, the bullpen was gassed, and the offense was non existent, and they had one of the worst records in the game when playing in front of their own fans.
And now, just over a week later, the Phils have put four games between themselves and the rest of the division, thanks to a 9-1 home stand where they could do no wrong, where no deficit was insurmountable, where no pitcher was unbeatable, and where no opposing offense was too imposing. Their swagger, which had evaded them for most of the last month, had returned.
It’s no surprise then, that Jimmy Rollins hit over .400 in the last 10 games. Or that a Phils’ starter earned a win in seven of the nine wins. Or that the starters gave up over three runs only twice. Or that they handed losses to guys named Santana, Cueto and Duke. Or that Brad Lidge is four-for-four in save opportunities, giving up only one run on two hits in that span while striking out nine.
In other words, everything went right for the Phils.
Heading into the break, the Phillies are in the driver’s seat. They have a four game cushion in the division, the team is healthy, the offense is delivering and most importantly, the pitching has been solid.
What’s next for our heroes?
The Phils get the next three days off for the All Star Game, but will take on the Florida Marlins on July 16 in a four game series in Miami.
Bonus baseball!
This weekend, I was in Philadelphia for the Citizen’s Bank Heist, where members of the Phildelphia blogosphere converged on The Bank for a night of merriment, debauchery and baseball. It was an overwhelming success, and the game couldn’t possibly have been better, with the exception of Cole tossing a perfect game.
I had the opportunity to meet some of the finest Philly bloggers/contributors/fans, and it was truley an unforgettable experience. Nothing is better than talking about the Phils with fellow fans, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the guys over at Walkoff Walk for setting that up. Great time, fellas. Let’s do it again.
21 Comments on “July 12 Game Recap: Phillies 5, Pirates 2”
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General
July 12th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I gotta say, it feels pretty magnificent to have a 4 game lead while standing at 10 games over .500 at the All-Star Break. When the team was in the middle of their tailspin a couple weeks ago, I would have never thought we’d be where we are at the break.
This team is one big move away from repeating as world champs. You figure Hamels can’t possibly have as bad a second half as he’s had a first half, so another strong arm up top would propel the Phils to where they need to be.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I was driving on 95 when I heard Feliz’s Salami on the radio, and nearly spun out of control. I have this odd disability, that causes me to flip out in sheer joy when a Phil scores. Definitely glad to hear that Happ continued to pitch well, and he’s really showing that he’s going to be a decent pitcher for a while to come.
@Dash, was an awesome time indeed. It must be done again.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
swift, for future advice, i wouldnt combine feeding a baby and watching the phils
July 12th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
@will.H, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice. LOL!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I gotta admit, I’m just about completely sold on JA Happ. I’ve been expecting a Kyle Kendrick-esque fall back down to reality but he seems to be the real deal…
July 12th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
@Gaze, I thought there was a reason Ricky Bo has a hard on for JA Happ all the time, turns out there was.
July 12th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Here’s how I killed an hour before the game. I am always on the lookout.
http://whoedoesheplayfor.wordpress.com
July 12th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Oops! That link is http://whodoesheplayfor.wordpress.com
July 12th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Josh, that’s some great stuff.
Funny you mention it… When Garrett Jones hit that moon shot Friday night, I saw a guy with a Geoff Geary T-shirt jersey. I guess Geoff still has family in the area?
July 12th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
@Gonzo, I’d like to see some “Why would you buy that?” Jerseys. I’ve seen Kevin Jordan, and Kevin Sefcik. Made me shake my head.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Swift, I witnessed in person Kevin Jordan’s only career Grand Salami. It was at the vet against the Braves and landed in the left field bullpen. And it was glorious.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
What’s wrong with my Greg Legg jersey?
July 12th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I love me some Happ! It’s safe to say this dude is the real deal. Never gives up too many runs and always seems to get some decent run support.
Some guy in my section had an Abraham Nunez jersey on the other day. That was pretty sweet.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
@Gonzo, One career Salami doesn’t make him a worthy buy for a Jersey.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
nah, i didnt buy one. The only jersey I’ve ever bought was Dave Hollins.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:48 am
@Gonzo, now that’s respectable. The guy was our thirdbaseman during the 93 Series. So, he’s earned that right.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I also saw a guy wearing a Freddy Garcia jersey at Sunday’s game. Was he even on the Phils long enough to produce a jersey, especially with his stellar 1-9 record. Who the hell would pay $175 for a jersey honoring the single worst acquisition in recent Phillies history?
July 13th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Whoa, josh pincus, whoa. Adam Eaton might have something to say about that.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:50 am
ramirez
utley
pujols
braun
ibanez
wright
vic
molina
lincecum
July 13th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
@ fuck the mets: While I certainly feel the pain and frustration of having Adam Eaton and his arrogance as part of the Phils, Freddy Garcia was much more costly to the club. During Eaton’s two-year tenure his record was 14-18 and his first year salary was $7.2 million. The World Series Champion Chicago White Sox couldn’t wait to unload that fucking drunk Garcia. He cost the Phils TEN MILLION DOLLARS and they got ONE WIN out of him.
A good rule to follow is: When a World Series team dumps a pitcher out of its starting rotation, don’t go after him.
July 13th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
it has always (and will always) be a pet peeve to see ex player jerseys worn around the ballpark… what has made this worse you ask? the advent of the ‘jersey-shirt’… u know, a t-shirt with semblance of an actual jersey…
oh well, i saw one of these so-called ‘jersey-shirts’ on sunday somewhere near section 140, the player’s name on the back?
SEANEZ
holy hell someone went out and paid money for a rudy seanez t-shirt
what the hell is this world coming to?!?!?!