Last night the Phillies showed us the team we’ve been missing in an exciting win against the Reds. Doc definitely didn’t have his best performance, but he was still dominant against Cincinnati's pitcher Mike Leake.
The Fightin’s started off slow, as the Reds took an early 2-0 lead in the first, but they quickly changed pace and got on the board later that inning with Howard’s RBI single sending Pierre home.
In the third Howard struck again, sending a solo homer into right field to tie the game. Kratz’s 410-foot home run in the following inning made the game 3-2, Phils.
The fifth was pretty rough for Halladay; Cincinnati earned 2 runs and put themselves back into the lead. Just as we thought it might be another loss for the Phils, the offence showed up and showed up hot. It was a beautiful 12-5 win for the Phillies.
Tonight at 7:05 Cliff Lee (3.83 ERA, 2-7) will square off against Reds ace Homer Bailey (4.16 ERA, 10-8) at Citizens Bank as Bailey works to help his team tie up the series. Both pitchers have had less than stellar performances in the past month, and will attempt to use this game to help them bounce back to the star pitchers that they both are.
Baileys last start was a shaky one. He gave up six runs over 5 innings, and admitted to not making pitches as consistently as he needed to. He has had a pretty tough stretch after posting a 1.43 ERA in his first five starts in July. Bailey just hasn’t been the same since.
Lee, as we all know, has been battling a rough season. With only two wins, and 7 losses, he’s not performing like the starter that we know and love. But is it necessarily his fault? His last start was a pretty good indicator of the season he’s been having. He allowed 5 hits, and struck out 12 as he pitched into the seventh, but the Brewers were hitting homers, causing the Phils to lose 7-4.
The Phils are 21-9 against the Reds at CBP, and look to continue to improve that record tonight.
Phils go ahead with Pence Bobble Head Night
All fans attending tonights game will recieve a Hunter Bence bobble head. This is the first time that multiple Phillies employees remember keeping a giveaway for a recently traded player. Scott Brandreth, the Phillies Director of merchandising stated "I don't think it was really that difficult of a decision. Bobble heads are a pretty popular promotion and they're a collectible item. This one just might be a little bit more collectible now that it's got a little unique story to it."
Tonight's lineup vs Cincinnati:
1. Rollins SS
2. Pierre LF
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Mayberry CF
6. Brown RF
7. Frandsen 3B
8. Kratz C
9. Lee P
TV: PHL 17 | Radio: 1210 WPHT, 94 WIP
Worth Noting:
Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is suspended for tonight and tomorrows games against the Phillies for bumping an ump.
