Liberty Ball

This run by the Phillies has been surreal.  At one point I was almost ready to write them off even knowing it was extremely early.  Regardless, since April 30th, the Phillies have won 13 and lost just a single game.  The Mets have become average, and they’ve won only six of their last eleven.  The net result is that the Phillies are only one game back of first place.

Cole Hamels got his first career start on Friday and he lived up to his reputation.  He pitched five shutout innings and gave up only a single hit.  He did walk five, which is a problem, but he struck out seven.  I’m not exactly sure why he didn’t get the win in this one, because he threw the mandatory five innings.  Ryan Madson did get the win, despite almost giving the game away.  He gave up two runs in only one inning of work.  Tom Gordon threw a perfect ninth and struck out two to pick up his eleventh save of the season.  On the hitting side, Ryan Howard went yard for the tenth time this year and Shane Victorino went four for four with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs in the 8-4 win.

Yesterday, Jon Lieber continued his great pitching.  After starting 0-4, he’s now won his last three starts.  He came one hitter short of a complete game and gave up only two hits in the 2-0 win.  Tom Gordon got the final batter out and he earned save number twelve.  The Phillies managed only six hits, but they scored on two of them and that was all they needed.

Today’s game had it’s share of drama and had Ryan Howard come out as the hero.  Jason LaRue took Bret Myers deep in the fifth and until the eighth inning, the Phillies hadn’t scored.  Then Howard pinch hit for Myers and hit a solo shot to tie it up.  The game went into extra frames, and Howard homered again in the twelth.  Three outs later and Tom Gordon had his third save of the series and the Phillies had their sweep with a 2-1 win.

The Phillies get the day off tomorrow then travel to Milwaukee for a three game series.  All you can ask for is for the Phillies to keep on winning.