Last night's game was a breath of fresh air for the Phillies and their fans alike. Cody Asche made some noise, Cole Hamels tossed a complete game, and Charlie Manuel got his 1,000th win. Tonight, though, they fell right back into their disappointing ways. Ethan Martin tried to make a triumphant return home as a Georgia native, and actually pitched quite well. However, he couldn't stop this Braves offense.
The Phillies did start things off pretty well against Kris Medlen. In the first inning, they brought six batters to the plate. Michael Young and Chase Utley both singled to put runners on the corners. Darin Ruf was then hit by a pitch for the second night in a row. With the bases loaded, though, the team could do nothing about it. Cody Asche would line out to end the threat.
Tyler Pastornicky singled to begin the second inning. Ethan Martin retired the next two batters, but couldn't keep the opposing pitcher at bay. Medlen's double scored Pastornicky to give the Braves an early 1-0 advantage. Then, in the third, Martin failed to hold off one of this year's surprise hitters, Chris Johnson. After Justin Upton had doubled to begin the frame, Johnson lined a shot to left field for a homerun. The Braves exited the third with a 3-0 lead.
Thankfully, the Phillies would not be shut out. In the sixth inning, Utley would double with two away. Then, Domonic Brown came through with an RBI single to give the Phils their first run of the game. Brown would be thrown out trying to reach second base, but the run did count. 3-1 Braves advantage.
That would be it for the scoring for both squads. The Phillies had no answer for Kris Medlen, a pitcher they have hit well off of before. Other than a misplay early in the game by Darin Ruf, mishaps weren't a big issue for Philly in this game. However, they took the loss and are now 5-18 since the All-Star Break, the second worst in the majors to only the Houston Astros. These two teams will go at it once more tomorrow night at 7:10, when Cliff Lee takes on Brandon Beachy.
