Liberty Ball

This series was tough, especially considering we took the first game.  So now the Phillies stand four games back of the Reds with four other teams in front of us.

Friday was a dramatic fourteen inning game.  The Phillies were down 3-1 but then scored three in the bottom of the eighth to take a 4-3 lead.  The Reds answered with two in the top of the ninth to take the lead back, but then Scott Victorino hit a sac. fly in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game up and send it into extra frames.

Neither team scored over the next four innings.  Then finally in the bottom of the fourteenth, Aaron Rowand singled home David Dellucci to win the game.  Jon Lieber had a nice start but didn’t get a decision.  Tom Gordon blew the save with the two run ninth.  Aaron Fultz picked up the win with an inning and a third of no hit ball.  Jimmy Rollins hit homerun number 15 in the win.

It went downhill from there.  The Phillies tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth but once again, Tom Gordon was shelled for three runs in the ninth.  The Phillies threatened and actually scored one in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn’t even close to enough.  Ryan Howard hit homerun number 40 and Rollins homered twice and drove in four runs.  Scott Mathieson was shelled in less then four innings of work but the pen kept the Phillies in the game until Gordon blew things in the ninth.

Ryan Howard had a big game today, but once again, it wasn’t enough.  His RBI single in the ninth inning sent the game into extra frames but the Reds scored two in the eleventh to win it.  Howard also homered and he joins Cy Howard at sixth place in the single season homerun list for Phillies with 41.  Seven more and he ties Mike Schmidt’s 1980 franchise record of 48.  Rollins also continued to hit the ball well.  He went four for six with a run.  Bret Myers was knocked around in less then six innings and Ryan Madson picked up the loss when he gave up the two runs in the eleventh.

We could really use an easy series, but instead we get the best in the National League.  The Phillies play four against the Mets.  Hopefully they’re feeling pretty comfortable with their fifteen game lead in the NL East and we can take some games.