The Philadelphia Phillies snapped their five-game losing streak on Thursday night, defeating the Minnesota Twins 3-2. Their record improves to 32-35.
- Cliff Lee turned in seven solid innings, allowing just two runs on three hits. Lee was dominate through the first six innings of the game, allowing just one base runner. For a little while, it looked as though he was going to cruise through the game for a complete-game shutout, but the ace had a long seventh inning that cut his night short.
- The Phillies got plenty of hits tonight (16) but only managed to score three runs. They hit just 4-16 with runners in scoring position, but they did manage to get some timely hitting when they needed it most.
- Down by a run in the eighth inning, Kevin Frandsen led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. Ben Revere then reached first base on a bunt, and Michael Young singled home the tying run. Jimmy Rollins then reached on an error, with the go-ahead run scoring in the process.
- Revere finished with one his better offensive games of the season. The outfielder was placed back in the lead-off position, and he responded by going 4-6 with a triple and two runs scored against his former ballclub.
- Ryan Howard went 3-5 and singled home Ben Revere in the first inning. All of Howard’s hits were singles, and he struck out with two runners in scoring position and no outs in the eighth inning.
- Domonic Brown went 1-3 with two walks. Brown was walked intentionally to load the bases in the eighth.
- Delmon Young was pretty brutal tonight, going just 1-5 and leaving seven runners on base. Young hit into a double-play with the bases loaded to end the team’s eighth inning rally.
- Mike Adams had a clean eighth inning, successfully setting up Jonathan Papelbon for the save.
Final Thoughts
It wasn’t pretty, but the Phillies finally got back into the win column.
Although the offense struggled throughout the night, it was nice to see them rally in the eighth inning and help pick up their starter. Cliff Lee had pitched very well until the seventh inning, and deserved to win tonight.
After watching the bullpen blow the first two games of the series, it was encouraging to see Mike Adams come out and have some success in the eighth inning. Adams is such an important piece to this team’s success, and its imperative that Charlie Manuel will be able to count on him to work the eighth inning.
The Phillies also made a number of roster moves today. Cesar Hernandez has been sent back to Triple-A in favor of Michael Martinez. With Chase Utley close to a return, the team wants Hernandez seeing at-bats everyday, and Martinez will simply hold on to a roster spot until Utley is ready.
Tyler Cloyd was also sent down, and reliever Jake Diekman was called up. Diekman saw some action in the majors with the Phillies last season, but he although he throws hard he was just too raw a year ago. He hasn’t had a great year in the minors, but the team is desperate for a lefthanded reliever to emerge in this bullpen, so Diekman will get an opportunity to sink or swim.
Stater John Lannan is also ready to return to the rotation, but he won’t be activated until the team needs him for Monday’s game against Washington.
Jake “87 regular” Diekman
No worries, MVP Michael Martinez is back, & perennial Cy Young winner John Lannan, will be back on Monday! All is good, in da hood! GTFO, with this GM already. Martinez is the poster child, of Ruin 2morrows ineptness, stupidity & idiocy. HOW, in the F^#@, does this useless POS, keep getting called up? HOW???? He’s an irrelevant, useless, piece of garbage. Not 1 move made today, makes a bit of difference, to making this team any better! NOT 1!!!!! 16 hits 2night, 14 singles! What an embarrassment! Howard, when he does get a hit, is now a $25M singles hitter! Yeah baby, just 4 more years!
We’ve really seen in the last couple of years how important Ryan Howard is to this lineup. When he slumps (or is out), the team slumps. I still have some hope that Howard can get it together, and that somehow, along with a healthy Ruiz and Utley that these guys can make this season interesting. Pretty amazing to lose 2 starting pitchers (one a hall of famer) and yet our biggest 2 issues are still scoring runs and relief pitching.
Yeah, & Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny & the Tooth fairy are real. E-$$$, put down the bong. Howard is hopeless, Utley & Ruiz, won’t be healthy, & there is nothing interesting happening. If you still think, in any way, shape, or form, we come close to the playoffs, you need your head examined. This entire Organization needs to be purged, from the Scouts- Ruin 2morrow- Charlie- the entire roster. It’s over.
This year it is D. But I think if you insert Choo and McCann into this lineup replacing Delmon and Chooch and replace utley with ceasar and young with asche. i think you have a nice team next year.
Cesar Hernandez is overhyped & not good defensively. Ashe has very little power, is another lefty, isn’t exactly a GG, & should be moved to 2b, like Utley was (very similar) Franco will be better than him. Choo is mediocre, & I want no parts, with another declining, injury prone Catcher. This team is at least 2 years of a rebuild away, of doing anything, & if Ruin 2morrow isn’t replaced, we’re f^#@ed for a LOOONG time.
damn so much for some mhenski optimism. 3 hours until 3 days of drowning my phillies sorrow begins
over the last 5 years chase utley has demonstrated that you cant count on him to be healthy and when he is healthy you cant count on him to produce or produce any more than an average second baseman. In my opinion he is the biggest dead weight on the team.
35 million off the books when he and the artist formerly known as doc walk in the offseason
it would be nice to get robinson cano but the phils front office is probably scarred watching howard and utley break down in their 30s and watching the angels not getting what they paid for in josh hamilton and pujols…
I think the Phils will get one of Sin CHoo, Cano, Elsbury or McCann in the offseason
ZERO shot Cano leaves NY. Choo is mediocre, & McCann is injury prone & in decline. No thanks. We need to rebuild with an infusion of youth, not more overpaid, has-beens, & band-aids. We are no longer a team, 1-2 pieces away from contending, we are a lost, rudderless organization, in a dire need, of a colon blowing enema! Get your head out of the clouds mh, it won’t hurt as much.
this team just rakes in too much money to just blow it all up, until the revenue slows up in a major way they will just keep tweaking and retooling
Well, be happy with this type garbage, & mired in mediocrity, until their flawed philosophy changes! Unless they blow it up, we are no better than a 500 team, if that. Revenue won’t ever slow up, with the renewed season ticket sales, & the inevitable huge TV deal coming. So your point is irrelevant. They need to be blown up period!