Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
Yesterday was a struggle. Actually, it was more than a struggle. It was an overwhelming embarrassment for the Phillies, as not only were they shutout for the fifth time in their last ten home games, they were no-hit by the Dodgers Josh Beckett. It seemed to slide the team down to their lowest point of the season, as, and with all due respect to Beckett, no one looked impressive at the plate. There was lackadaisical movement, and poor plate discipline for a majority of the nine innings. In a rare 5:05 start today, though, the Phillies would look to Memorial Day as an opportunity to put a shellacking on the Rockies, who they beat back in 2008 on this same holiday by a score of 20-5. Kyle Kendrick took his ten-game losing streak to the mound to face Colorado's Jhoulys Chacin.
The Game: Each pitcher began the game well. Neither gave up a run in the first three and a half innings, and it looked as though the game would come nowhere close to the 25-run contest that took place six years ago. The first run would score in that bottom of the fourth inning, though, and it came from a resurgent source. It began with a two out base knock off of Chase Ultey's bat. A wild pitch allowed him to move up to second base, which worked perfectly for Big Piece. Ryan Howard snapped his 0-for-17 streak by singling over the shift into right field, bringing Utley home in the process.
Philadelphia would tack on a second run for Kyle Kendrick in the fifth inning. Domonic Brown was up first, and received a free pass to the basepaths. A single into left field by Carlos Ruiz gave Brown the chance to advance, and on a heads up play, take third as Carlos Gonzalez slowed on the play. The next two batters were set down, but Ben Revere's opportune single brought in the run. That 2-0 score would double in the next inning, when Chase Utley would once again reach first base. Ryan Howard then took a 1-1 pitch and launched it toward the bullpens in center field for his eighth home run of the season.
The game was officially blown open in the seventh, where Tony Gwynn Jr. got his first at bat after being Brown's defensive replacement. He walked, and Ben Revere singled next to put two runners on. Jimmy Rollins grounded into a fielder's choice that saw Revere thrown out at second, but that out was no issue for Utley. He sent a ball off the right field wall for his 21st double of the season, scoring Gwynn and moving Rollins to third. Howard then continued his fantastic afternoon, knocking both Rollins and Utley home with a two RBI single. The scoring would not end there, however. Two batters later, John Mayberry Jr. pinch hit for the pitcher's spot, and collected the team's second two-run home of the afternoon, his second of the season. A 9-0 lead in the end for the home team.
While Kendrick certainly enjoyed the offensive outburst, he would have been just fine with a single run scored. He was dealing all afternoon, and only had a few moments of real close play. After going 0-10 in his last 16 ballgames, Kendrick would collect his (for some reason) oh-so coveted first win. In the end, the right hander would go 6.2 innings, allowing six runs and no runs scored. The one blemish on his outing is a reflection of his issues all season, a four walk game. Despite that, Kendrick, and the Phillies, came away victorious.
Impact: Today's performance wasn't just impressive because they were able to demolish the Rockies. It showed that the team could put a devastating performance behind them just 24 hours later, can come out swinging the bats well. Ben Revere, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard all came away with three hits a piece, and Howard collected five RBIs for the first time since September of 2012 against the New York Mets. The team had twelve hits overall.
Up Next: Cole Hamels makes his next start tomorrow night at 7:05 against the Colorado Rockies and Jorge De La Rosa in Game Two of the three game set.
Andrew Gillen, Philliedelphia Managing Editor/Gameday Coordinator
