What happened?
The Phillies break out the bats to take the second game of the series from the Astros as they reduce their magic number to one.
Who did what?
Jay Happ (12-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in five and two-thirds. He intentionally walked one and struck out six.
Jimmy Rollins went 2 for 4 with a double (42) and an RBI.
Raul Ibanez went 1 for 2 with two runs.
Jayson Werth went 2 for 2 tih a homer (35) and two RBIs.
Pedro Feliz went 1 for 3 with a grand slam (12) and four RBIs.
Ryan Madson (S, 10) gave up two hits and struck out two in two innings of relief to earn the save.
Wilton Lopez (L, 0-1) allowed five runs on six hits in three and two-thirds. He walked and struck out two.
Kaz Matsui went 2 for 5 with a homer (9) and two RBIs.
Lance Berkman went 2 for 4 with a homer (25) and an RBI.
Carlos Lee went 2 for 5 with an RBI.
What does this mean?
The Phillies just needed a win.
They got two.
After getting blown out in the first game against the lowly Houston Astros, the Phillies broke out the bats to defeat the ‘Stros in the second game of the series to reduce their magic number to two. That’s not all they would get, as the Florida Marlins held on to beat the Atlanta Braves, meaning the Phillies need just one more win to clinch the National Leage easy for the third straight season.
Things didn’t start off so well for the Phillies, who were getting held in check by Houston starter Wilton Lopez, who started off by getting four of the first six hitters to weakly ground out. He was given one run of support in the top of the third, when Lance Berkman took Jay Happ deep for a solo shot.
The Phillies came back with one in the bottom of the frame, when Jimmy Rollins doubled in Paul Bako from second to even the score. It wouldn’t stay tied very long, as Pedro Feliz hit a first pitch grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning to put the Phils up by four.
The Astros added one in the top of the fifth, which was quickly erased by a two-run blast by Jayson Werth in the bottom of the frame. The Astros fought back with a two-run, two-out homer off the bat of Kaz Matsui in the top of the sixth, bringing them to within three.
After Jamie Moyer worked one and a third innings of scoreless relief, Ryan Madson came out for the eighth…and ninth inning to record the six out save. He tossed a perfect eighth inning but put two runners on with one out in the ninth before striking out Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence to end the game to earn his 10th save of the season.
While the offense was a big part of the game, the pitching cannot go overlooked. Jay Happ was more than effective over five plus innings, and Jamie Moyer put together middle relief that cannot go unappreciated. But it was Ryan Madson’s six out save that nailed it down for the Phillies. He had an easy eighth, and even after putting two on in the ninth, he struck out two tough hitters to end the game.
To say this was a big win for the Phillies is a gross understatement. With the Atlanta Braves hot on the coattails, the Phillies needed to pull out a W. They did exactly what they needed to do against a mediocre pitcher and a team that should not be standing in their way of October baseball. Whether or not Atlanta lost to the Florida Marlins is irrelevant, as the Phillies only need worry about themselves.
Of course, the Braves did lose, making thins a bit easier for the Fightins. With five games left in the season, the Phillies need only win one of those games to claim their third straight National League east championship.
What’s next for our heroes?
In game three of the series, Cliff Lee (7-3, 3.28) takes on Brian Moehler (8-11, 5.21).
31 Comments on “September 29 Game Recap: Phillies 7, Astros 4”
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General
September 29th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
While I think Pedro is going tomorrow night, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got a ticket, and I will be there as the Phillies (God willing) clinch their third straight division title.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Ok. You can put me away now
September 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
That second hit off Madson in the ninth was a bleeder that got through thanks to some overpositioning on the infield’s part. Just sayin’
September 29th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
So I gotta ask.. why the fuck did Charlie Manuel not pull a double switch when he brought Moyer into the game? Moyer was due up to bat 3rd in the bottom of the 6th. Pull Happ and Ibanez and bring in Moyer and Francisco, for fucks sake.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Check that.. Moyer was due up 2nd in the bottom of the 6th. Even worse.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I would guess it’s because Manuel thinks Ibanez is a significantly better fielder than Francisco, which is really not the case.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
@ericvsthem It was only the top of the sixth when Moyer came in, and it was a three run game – by no means a lock. You keep Raul in the game for offense, if needed, and with the bottom of the order coming up, it doesn’t matter if Moyer comes up in the order.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I’m not sure Ben Fran is that much of an improvement over Raul. Ibanez has a better arm and covers almost as much ground. I don’t think it’s worth getting worked up over either way…especially when you consider he was counting on two innings from Madson and he would have had to hit him after Howard in the 8th.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Naturally the discussion is about what we did wrong tonight. That Manuel guy is a real idiot.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Good lord Eric go somewhere where nobody is ever critical of their team (it’s called Anaheim, you won’t even have to watch the games)
September 30th, 2009 at 12:10 am
if they clinch tomorrow, it’ll be on my birthday n that’ll be the best gift of all! yay!
September 30th, 2009 at 12:14 am
p.s. my sister got my a pink snuggie, so i dunno, i might not need much more than that.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:17 am
lol @ Gab.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Good win for the Phillies, but I remain concerned about JA Happ. He is throwing way too many pitches in not enough innings. Joe Blanton has also run into the same problem lately.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Happy birthday, Gabrielle.
Enjoy that snuggie.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Going to the game tomorrow. Hope they clinch!
September 30th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Yeah, Happy Birthday Gabrielle.
September 30th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Let’s hope Madson can keep it going. What a great game though.
September 30th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Phylan – This bullshit you guys discuss is borderline insufferable at times. I would ignore it and walk away, but I am still convinced I can make most of you real fans with time.
Seriously, we win a game and the only thing discussed is why we didn’t double switch in the 6th inning? How many of you actually watch the game with the intentions of finding things to get angry about? Better yet, how many of you actually have a basic fundamental knowledge of the fucking game of baseball? Yea, let’s get Ben Francisco out there, he’s a fucking all star.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Why bother with a double switch? Houston used RHP’s for the rest of the game, which negates bringing in a RH hitter (Francisco). Moyer can give you another inning of work. Why use another pitcher out of the pen so early in the game? Phils were up by 3 runs at the time and decided to sac-bunt to move the runner over. The right call was made.
Maybe if Bako isn’t on first you PH for Moyer.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I’ll be critical of Anaheim-why did they think it was a nice gesture to pour beer all over the jersey of a guy that got hit by a drunk driver. And then, to top it off, they ran out to the sign on the outfield fence and poured more beer on the guy. Real classy. I hope they all got cabs home that night.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
OK…gonna try this here too…
I want to do an experiment. It’s called playing manager. Arguments about Lidge and Madson have gone rampant on other threads. I’m hoping this might put it to rest (relatively, at least). I’m going to present the facts. You all will vote on which pitcher you would put in to close put the game (please no guesses on who’s who, or trying to figure it out, etc., as obvious as it might be to some). These stats are based on September 2009 pitching performances.
Pitcher A:
6 saves in 7 opportunities (3 w/ 1 run lead, 1 w/ 2 run lead, 2 w/ 3 run lead, 1 BS on 1 run lead)
8 IP
10 H
3 Extra base hits (1 HR, 2 2B)
6 K, 0 BB, 1 HBP
4.50 ERA
Pitcher B:
4 saves in 6 opportunities (1 w/ 1 run lead, 3 with 3 run lead, 2 BS on 1 run lead)
6 1/3 IP
11 H
3 Extra base hits (1 2B, 2 3B)
7 K, 5 BB, 2 HBP
11.37 ERA
Your the manager. It’s the deciding game of a playoff series. Who are you bringing into the game in the 9th?
Don’t kill it, jdash…
September 30th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I would never!
September 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am
If I were the manager I would want to know what Players A and B did the whole season, not just in September.
September 30th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Also, not going to give it away, but you might want to go over the Baseball-reference and update those September stats because they’re a few innings out of date each, and it’s even more drastic now.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
oh yeah, forgot this again…
Pitcher A – 4 runs, all earned
Pitcher B – 8 runs, all earned
And Phylan, my point with this is, who’s doing what most recently. I think it’s pretty clear that there’s high value placed on what players do in the stretch run. Howard turning it on in September, Cole shutting it down, etc.
I want to know who’s turning it on when it’s coming down to “when it matters most.”
Also, Phylan, you commented on the other thread where I posted this that you missed the save opportunities part – was that in reference to what you just said about the innings stats? I’m pretty sure they’re correct, given that condition.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
@Watrick: Get real. Since when has everyone gotten so ultra-fucking-sensitive? This “story” is such a non-issue. Do you truly think the Angels were trying to symbolize anything by dumping beers on Adenhart’s jersey? Really? No, they were simply celebrating a major accomplishment together as a team and remembering a fallen teammate who’s life was taken too soon. I’d be willing to bet a substantial amount of money that if Nick Adenhart were still alive and playing baseball, he’d be in the clubhouse cracking a brew with them after they won. Sadly he isn’t. I mean we could turn every MLB clubhouse into a NASCAR post-race interview and show the players dumping Pepsi all over each other. Would that be better? You know that dumb fuck Rich Hofman said the same shit yesterday on DNL and it made me want to throw my television out the window. I hate that guy but that’s for a different day.
I didn’t hear ANYONE freak out when Victorino and Eyre lit up a cigarette in honor of HK on April 13th. Shouldn’t we then be fearful of the message that sends to everyone??? A beloved broadcaster suffers an untimely death and the players who absolutely adore the man pay tribute to him by doing something that inevitably caused his death. My guess is you probably weren’t too concerned with it…..
September 30th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
But they lit up in honor of Harry, which is different because it was something they were doing not as a celebration. Rich Hofmann isn’t the only one talking about this. I’m all for celebrating-but that just made me think twice because I’ve known people close to me die from a drunk driving accident. So yeah, I am a little more sensitive about it than other people-but i know I’m not alone here. Them walking out to that sign in the outfield and touching it was a really nice thing-even the fans could join in-and I loved that. But, the dumping the beer on him looks like a drunk gesture. The beer on the jersey-why couldn’t it been champagne? To me, the beer is what makes it look worse. Champagne is used because it looks classy, beer (and the cans of light beer that they were using) look cheap. I mean, they were just pouring it on there, not even spraying it.
There’s a lot of people that leave sporting events way too drunk to drive-and I see it almost every time I leave a game. I’m just wishing they celebrated a little differently for that occasion.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
So because champagne looks better that would make it acceptable? Of course, because no one ever got a DUI or got into an accident because they drank champagne all night. It’s classier!
I’d pay to see this exchange:
Cop: “License, registration…..sir, have you had to much to drink this evening?”
Driver: “Actually yes, but it was champagne officer.”
Cop: “Oh well in that case nevermind because as we all know, champagne looks classy. Here, I’ll even start your car for you.”
Or because they didn’t “spray” the beer, that makes it worse? Please. This is people with entirely too much time on their hands blowing this entirely out of proportion. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to enough tailgates and games to see what people do once the game is through. It’s shocking to see some fans get behind the wheel of a 4 ton truck and drive off. But since you seem to know, please tell me what is the template for celebrating a championship? There are no set limitations. It’s spontaneous and that’s what they chose to do. And we can watch them revel in their glory, but please do not sit and pick apart every little God damn thing. It’s absurd.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=neel_eric&id=4515028
September 30th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
They should have had Cole Hamels make a guest appearance to pour milk all over the jersey, assuring Addenhart’s ghost got his 3 servings of dairy.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
@Ozzie – You make a good point. But why in the world were the Phillies bunting with 2 on and 1 out in the 2nd inning of game 36 this year? WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?! Fire Manuel!