Photo Credit: Steve Trapani
In my past few game recaps, I've noted that the most exciting thing to watch in the upcoming Phillies games would be the young stars finally getting their opportunities. Tonight, Cody Asche gave fans something to smile about.
After a near two-hour rain delay, the Phillies and Braves finally got under way at Turner Field for the first game of their set. Cole Hamels would look to take on rookie Julio Teheran in the midst of the Braves' (and Teheran's) unbelievable run. And, for the first time in quite awhile, the Phillies handled this one from the beginning. The scoring began in the third, when Cole Hamels was able to turn a mistake by B.J. Upton from a double into a triple. With one out in the inning, Jimmy Rollins continued to climb the Phillies All-Time leaderboard with an RBI single that scored Hamels.
The next two and a half innings very much matched the first two, with both pitches matching one another in domination. To the relief of thousands, Hamels would get some much-desired run support in the top of the sixth. Sandwhiching a Domonic Brown line out was a Chase Utley single and a Darin Ruf hit by pitch. Next up was rookie Cody Asche, who slammed his second homerun of the season, a three-run shot that put the Phillies ahead of Atlanta 4-0. Asche would also make two defensive plays in this game that helped preserve Hamels' solid outing.
Some insurance would come for the Phils in the top of the ninth, as would some relief for the young third baseman. After singling to lead things off, Asche would record his first major league stolen base on a John Mayberry Jr. strikeout. Carlos Ruiz would knock in the fifth and final run with a single, putting the Philly lead at 5-0.
Meanwhile, Cole Hamels was absolutely filthy in this one. All of his pitches were hitting their spots, with nothing being left over the middle. Despite allowing a single run in the ninth on a ground-rule double by Chris Jonson. He would be rewarded with his first complete game in over a year. It would also be the 1,000 career win in Charlie Manuel's managerial career, the 59th manager to do so in major league history. He also gave us this gem of an image:
All kidding aside, many congratulations go out to one of the best managers in Philly history. With Cody Asche and Cole Hamels giving stellar performances, though, he probably wasn't thinking about it very much. He'll go for win number 1,001 tomorrow night when rookie Ethan Martin takes on the Braves' Kris Medlen at 7:10. Let's go for 2!
We here at Philliedelphia send our condolences to the family of the 30-year-old man who lost his life after falling from the upper-deck at Turner Field this evening.
