Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
After the July 31st trade deadline came and went, Phillies fans became quite irritated with the lack of movement from their favorite baseball organization. However, the front office continued to drill the old "Trades can still be made in August" thought into our heads. Now a week into the waiver period, Philadelphia finally made its first trade, shipping starter Roberto Hernandez out to the LA Dodgers for two players to be named later (believed to be lower-level minor leaguers). So, since Hernandez was due to start tonight's series finale against the Houston Astros, the time called up Sean O'Sullivan to make his second start with the Phillies this season. He'd have to take on Collin McHugh in hopes of leading the home squad to a three-game sweep.
The Game: If the first inning was any indication of things to come, you probably would have though the Astros were going to run away with things much like the Phillies did last night. Things could've been even worse than they turned out to be, had it not been for a diving catch Ben Revere made on the first batter of the game, Jose Altuve. Catcher Jason Castro collected the one out walk from Sean O'Sullivan, paving the way for Chris Carter. Carter would take the second pitch of his at bat deep into left field for his 23rd home run of the season. Marc Krauss would also homer in his at bat, giving Houston the early 3-0 lead.
O'Sullivan would pitch well enough to survive the second inning unscathed, but would run into more trouble in the third. Jason Castro got things going once again, this time singling to get on base. Second verse, same as the first in this inning, as Chris Carter powered through for yet another two-run home run to give the Astros their fifth run of the night.
While an RBI single by Carlos Ruiz in the second frame helped to soothe the pain, the Phillies were still struggling mightily at the plate, and still remained down 5-1 in the eighth inning. O'Sullivan pitched a full six innings of work with those five runs allowed, and Mario Hollands threw two innings of scoreless relief. But, it looked as though that pitching would go unrewarded, as no crooked numbers could be put on the scoreboard. Until the eighth, that is.
Rather quickly, a leadoff double by Carlos Ruiz turned into the Phils' second run with a Cody Asche RBI single. Domonic Brown was then summoned for some pop off the bench to pinch hit for Hollands, but was called out on strikes to put one man down. Ben Revere would be up next, and he would roll a ball down the first base line. It looked as though it would be out number two, but a miscommunication by Houston led to it being an infield single. With two on, Jimmy Rollins then dropped a ball into left field that was enough for a base hit, but could not bring Asche home from second. Now, with the bases loaded, Chase Utley stepped in. He had just hit a grand slam on the road trip, but could not come through again, instead recording a soft pop up into short left field. It then all came down to Ryan Howard.
The Big Piece worked a very difficult at bat, forcing Tony Sipp to throw seven pitches and reach a full count. Pitch number eight would be the most important, as Howard lifted a ball deep enough into the left center field seats for the thirteenth grand slam of his career. What was a 5-1 lead for the Astros going into the eighth turned into a 6-5 advantage after the frame. Jonathan Papelbon then came in to close out the comeback, and recorded a 1-2-3- ninth for his 94th save in Phillies pinstripes, tying him with Tug McGraw for fifth on the all-time list.
Impact: While his season of disappointment has been a big topic for Phillies fans to discuss, Ryan Howard's series has not. The grand slam was his fifth his in three games against Houston, and he finished with eight RBIs and three runs scored in the series. Ben Revere's offense is worth noting as well, as his two base hits tonight gave him eight total in the series. And, last but not least, Sean O'Sullivan came through pretty big for Philadelphia. Though it wasn't the most impressive outing, O'Sullivan ate up six innings and kept his team in the game.
Up Next: The New York Mets travel into Philadelphia to begin a four game weekend series. Bartolo Colon will get to make the start in Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night, while A.J. Burnett will take to the hill for the Phillies. Roy Halladay will be honored with a bobble head giveaway before tomorrow night's game.
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
