Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
Ignore that painfully forced headline, and instead rejoice in what today's game entailed. After taking the first two battles of the series, the Phillies had a chance to sweep a three-game set since the beginning of April. A.J. Burnett and Cole Hamels were phenomenal in their respective starts, giving up just two earned runs between themselves, and setting up their teams for success. Today, Kyle Kendrick would look to play off that success and return to his more dominant ways. Kyle has been less-than-spectacular for most of his outings this season, but has had some glimpses of a consistent pitcher. If the Phillies were going to string together three consecutive victories, they'd need Kendrick to come out firing. Eric Stults stood in for the Padres in the dreary, afternoon contest.
The Game: The early feel around this game was beyond disappointing. Not only was the rain falling and the sky an ominous dark shade of grey, but Kyle Kendrick got off to a rough start. Will Venable and Everth Cabrera each started the game off with a single. A Seth Smith ground ball enabled the Phillies to make the out at second, but two runners were at the corners for Chase Headley. He'd rip a 2-2 sinker down the right field line for a base hit. Marlon Byrd would have some problems picking it up, and the Padres were able to score two for the early 2-0 lead.
As has been well-documented, Jimmy Rollins trails Mike Schmidt by just a few hits on the Phillies all-time list. He'd creep closer to that today in the first inning. Ben Revere was up first, and he began the game with a leadoff double. Rollins then broke through with a single that would bring Revere around to score. The Phillies would score another run in the fourth. Marlon Byrd singled, and John Mayberry Jr. doubled to put two runners on base. A Domonic Brown sacrifice fly tied the game at two a side.
While the game remained tight through the first five+ innings, the final score wouldn't reflect it. That's because, after having already doubled in the fourth, John Mayberry Jr. would collect two more extra base hits. His first came to leadoff the sixth, doubling into left field. A Domonic Brown singled put runners on the corners. Wil Nieves bounced a ball to third next, and when Mayberry broke for the plate, the throw went there. He was originally called out, but Ryne Sandberg came out to challenge the call. In the review, Mayberry's foot never touched the plate, and the call was upheld. Ryan Howard struck out next, but the clutch hitting of Reid Brignac came through once more, doubling into left field to score two more runs.
Mayberry finished his day with a bang in the seventh inning. As will always be the case, free passes will kill a pitcher. Alex Torres felt that wrath when he gave up two straight walks to Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. After Byrd lined out, Mayberry came up again, and lifted a 2-2 pitch deep into the left field seats. It was a three-run shot, his fifth home run of the season, and the Phillies now held a 7-2 lead.
Antonio Bastardo, Jake Diekman, and Mario Hollands pitched in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, not giving up a run among themselves. With two down in that ninth inning, Ryne Sandberg decided it was the perfect time to let hard-throwing right-hander Ken Giles make his first major league appearance. He came out firing, but allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced. It moved the score to 7-3, but it didn't shake Giles, as he'd come back to strike out the next batter on a filthy slider. That ended both the game and the series, and the Phillies had successfully completed the three-game sweep.
Impact: Two names deserve some mention after today's game. The first is Kyle Kendrick, who, despite continuing his trend of first inning disaster, pitched a heck of a game. His final line read six total innings, one earned run, five strikeouts, and seven base hits given up. The other name is John Mayberry Jr., has put his name into consideration for more consecutive outfield starts. He's hitting .412 with four home runs, five doubles, and twelve RBIs in his last sixteen games, perhaps increasing his trade value along the way.
Up Next: The Phillies will welcome the Chicago Cubs to Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night with a '60's retro theme. Wearing some throwback uniforms, the two teams will be lead by pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Jake Arrieta. Also worth looking for is Jimmy Rollins, who is likely to both catch and pass Mike Schmidt on the the Phillies hit list this weekend.
