Final: Phillies 4, Padres 3
WP: Hector Neris (2-0, 2.45 ERA) LP: Kevin Quackenbush (1-2, 4.00 ERA) SV: Ken Giles (4)
San Diego, CA – In a game which lasted four hours and 13 minutes before a crowd of 31,334 at PETCO Park, the Philadelphia Phillies (43-67) ultimately came out on over the San Diego Padres (52-58) top thanks to late, clutch hitting from their offense.
In his return to the Phillies lineup, second baseman Chase Utley went 1-5 with a strikeout.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E | |
| Phillies | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
Both starting pitchers, James Shields and Aaron Nola threw 1-2-3 innings in the first. Utley and center fielder Odubel Herrera began the game by striking out, and rookie third baseman Maikel Franco followed by lining out to center field. In the next half-inning, just seven pitches were needed from Nola to retire shortstop Alexi Amarista, third baseman Yangervis Solarte, and right fielder Matt Kemp in order.
In the top of the second, Shields recorded the first two outs in the inning before allowing the first base runner of the contest for either side, a two-out single by shortstop Freddy Galvis to end his 0-10 skid. Left fielder Cody Asche, the next batter, walked on four pitches to put two runners on. Catcher Cameron Rupp ended the inning, however, by flying out to center.
The first run of the night scored in the bottom of the second. Left fielder Justin Upton was hit by a pitch to begin the frame, the first of Nola's career after 19.2 recorded innings. With Upton on third base and two outs, catcher Derek Norris hit a RBI-single to right field to bring home the three-time All-Star. This was Norris' first run-batted-in since August 1 against the Miami Marlins.
With two outs in the top of the third inning, Herrera singled right past Shields on the mound to extend his hitting streak into double-digits, 10 games. San Diego added two runs onto their lead during the next half-inning. With two outs, a misplay by Domonic Brown in right field allowed Justin Upton to record a two-RBI triple, his second triple-bagger of the season.
Trailing 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning with one out and no runners on, Brown made up for his fielding blunder by hitting a moonshot to right field. This was the 2013 National League All-Star's fourth home run of the season, and the second over his past two games.
The game would remain scoreless until the top of the sixth and seventh innings, when first baseman Ryan Howard and Asche hit solo home runs respectively to tie the game up at three.
For the first time in his career, Nola did not receive a decision in his start as he was pulled after six innings. Also for the first time, his outing resulted in a WHIP ratio over 1.000, as he yielded six hits and two walks over 99 pitches, 56 of which were called strikes. A good sign for the right hander, however, is that he settled down in his outing after the third inning by not allowing another Padre to score, especially via home run.
Likewise, Shields was pulled after six and two-thirds innings, after allowing three solo home runs over six hits, a walk, and 108 pitches. Shields has now allowed more than one home run in five of his 24 outings this season. His eight punch-outs, however, were his most since recording 11 against the Chicago Cubs on May 19.
The game would remain notched at three until the top of the 12th inning. The Phillies bullpen in relief of Nola combined for five scoreless innings up to this point, allowing just three hits, one walk, and striking out four batters. With his family and friends in attendance, Rupp delivered with a clutch game-winning home run off of Kevin Quackenbush, his third of the season.
Starting Pitchers
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Nola | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3.65 |
| James Shields | 6.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 3.75 |
- Nola: ND; 99 pitches, 56 strikes; 5 groundouts, 4 flyouts; 28 faced batters
- Shields: ND; 108 pitches, 68 strikes; 5 groundouts, 4 flyouts; 27 faced batters
Out of the 'Pen
Phillies
- Luis Garcia (7th, 8th): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 3.17 ERA
- Elvis Araujo (8th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 3.26 ERA
- Jeanmar Gomez (9th, 10th): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 2.11 ERA
- Hector Neris (11th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.45 ERA
- Ken Giles (12th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 1.69 ERA
Padres
- Marc Rzepczynski (7th): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 3.00 ERA
- Joaquin Benoit (8th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.12 ERA
- Craig Kimbrel (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 2.70 ERA
- Brandon Maurer (10th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 3.00 ERA
- Shawn Kelley (11th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 2.95 ERA
- Kevin Quackenbush (12th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 4.00 ERA
At the Plate
Phillies
- Chase Utley: 1-5, .179 AVG
- Ryan Howard: 1-5, R, HR RBI, .237 AVG
- Cody Asche: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, .251 AVG
Padres
- Yangervis Solarte: 2-6, R, 2B, .267 AVG
- Justin Upton: 2-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, .251 AVG
- Derek Norris: 2-4, RBI, BB, .241 AVG
What's Next:
- Saturday, August 8, 2015: at San Diego Padres, 8:40 pm
- LHP Adam Morgan (2-3, 4.46 ERA) vs. RHP Tyson Ross (8-8, 3.37 ERA)
- TV: CSN, MLBN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
- Sunday, August 9, 2015: at San Diego Padres, 4:10 pm
- RHP Jerome Williams (3-8, 6.09 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Cashner (4-11, 4.08 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
