Heading into tonight's ballgame, the Phillies had lost seven of their last eight contests, all of which came against division opponents. It has absolutely buried them in the standings, essentially ending any idea that this club had a chance at the playoffs. While it may be a harsh reality for some fans to face, it is past time to admit that this team needs a major face lift. Admittedly, losing does hurt. But as we look forward into the coming seasons, it may be the best route. The losing ways will become a sign of a need to change, from the front office all the way down to the bench. Basically, I'm spewing a season's worth of disappointment into this recap, but I'll get back on track. Kyle Kendrick took to the hill tonight to face off against Brad Hand of the Miami Marlins.
The Game: Miami would end up taking the early lead by scoring the game's first two runs. The first of those came in the third inning off of Kendrick. Marcell Ozuna led off that frame with a double, and would advance to third on a ground out by Donovan Solano. Pitcher Brad Hand then took to the plate, and surprisingly laid down a bunt. The ball rolled softly up the first base line, where Kendrick barehanded it and tossed it to Rupp at home. He was too late, however, as the run scored and Hand reached first base.
Run number two would be secured by Miami in the fifth inning. Singled by both Ozuna and Solano set the Marlins up for success right away. This time, Hand laid down a true sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position with one away. Christian Yelich stepped up next, and recorded a sharp single into left field. While Ozuna did score, Yelich's hit was a little too hard, forcing Solano to hold up at third base. Two straight pop outs would then allow Kendrick to escape the inning with just minimal damage allowed.
The sixth frame of tonight's game proved to be the one that would end the Phillies seventeen inning scoreless streak. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Marlon Byrd all singled to load the bases, forcing manager Mike Redmond to remove Brad Hand from the game. Chris Hatcher came in to throw against Philadelphia next, and faced Cesar Hernandez first. A groundball back toward the middle of the field from Hernandez lead to a force out of Byrd at second, but a run scored and Cesar reached base. While Aaron Alterr struck out to put two away, catcher Cameron Rupp came through with a long nine pitch at bat, finally ending with a long double off of the right field wall to score two and give the Phillies a 3-2 lead.
With some questioning the decision, Ryne Sandberg brought the left hander Jake Diekman into the game instead of Ken Giles to face a couple of right handed batters. It would end up proving costly, as Ed Lucas and Giancarlo Stanton each singled to lead off the eighth. Jake Diekman would then give up a wild pitch, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Casey McGehee grounded out to Chase Utley, bringing in Lucas and tying the game at three. On just two pitches in the next at bat, Jeff Baker bounced one off the wall and over the head of Marlon Byrd to bring home Stanton and give the Marlins the lead once again.
The Phillies, however, were not finished. Tony Gwynn Jr. worked the leadoff walk off of Marlins closer Steve Cishek. While Cody Asche did fly out next, Ben Revere singled to put runners at the corners. Jimmy Rollins then had a chance to tie the game, or even put his team ahead. He bounced a ball over to Solano at second, who decided to throw home. It was nowhere near in time, and the Phillies were now tied with the Marlins again. A ground ball to Solano once again, this time by Chase Utley, led to a bobble and a meager throw over to first. This let Revere score the go ahead run, a 5-4 lead.
In the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon looked to save the contest. Despite a leadoff single, Papelbon closed it out for the Phillies. It ended the Marlins' chance at a sweep, while simultaneously ending the long six game losing streak. Kyle Kendrick, after allowing just two earned runs in seven innings, walked away with a no decision.
Impact: Again, it's probably not the worst thing in the world for this team to lose more games than it wins. This win, however, raises some spirits, if only for a few hours. Kendrick was effective in his start, and seven of the eight starting position players came away with at least a hit. The biggest concern came with Jake Diekman's dangerously ineffective eighth inning appearance, in which he allowed two runs. He'd walk away with the victory, but it was a red flag for sure.
Up Next: Tomorrow, the Phillies will come together with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a Fourth of July battle. Roberto Hernandez gets the nod against the Pirates' young phenom, Gerrit Cole, in a special 5:05 PM start time in PNC Park.
