Philadelphia Phillies cruise past Cincinnati Reds 10-4 – MLB Update
The Philadelphia Phillies continued their march of success and beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-4 at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia on Thursday, May 26.
The win followed one of the longest games of the season, as the Phillies fought till the 19th inning to beat the Reds.
However, last night’s game barely proved as competitive in terms of Reds’ resistance. Cliff Lee, after making a significant contribution in the Phillies’ Wednesday’s victory, put in an extra effort to overwhelm the Reds.
Lee not only proved his mettle as the perfection-personified starting pitcher, but also showed his instrumentality as a batter, driving in three runs which included a bases-loaded double and a single.
His performance won kudos from his team manager. "He has a strong swing," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "When you can swing the bat, it means a lot. You can really help yourself."
In front of a packed ground, Thursday’s game kicked off with Lee pitching for the Phillies. Effective as he was since the start of the game, he did not allow any Reds’ hitter to go for big hits.
"First-pitch fastball," Lee said. "I was looking for something out over the plate that I could put a good swing on. That was it. Getting a hit here or there can usually make a huge difference. Today, I was able to help the team win."
Pitching a scoreless inning, it was the Phillies’ offence that laid the foundation of a solid game.
Ryan Howard doubled to deep right centre to score the first run for the Phillies. That infused energy in the Phillies’ defence as Lee continued to render the Reds’ offence indefensible, continuously pitching scoreless innings.
Raul Ibanez struck a three-run homer to pile up the lead to 4-0 in the third inning when Homer Bailey entered for the Reds’ pitching. Bailey gave up two hits in the inning one of which turned out to be costly.
Lee gave up three hits in the fourth inning and Paul Janish scored a two-run homer to bring down the lead 4-2. While the game remained in the grip of Phillies till the fifth inning, the sixth saw another two-run homer of Jay Bruce, levelling the score for
the first and last time.
Standing tied, the game saw a new phase generated by none other than Lee who struck a two-run homer to make it 6-4 off the vulnerable pitching of Daryl Thompson. Michael Martinez followed by a single, adding to the 7-4 lead of the Phillies.
While pitching tirelessly, Lee once again strengthened the offence with his one run in the seventh inning. Phillies seemed to have refused to easily spare the Reds’ defence as Martinez scored his second run of the game by singling to centre, giving the Phillies
an irreversible 9-4 lead.
Chase Utley made it 10-4 in the eighth inning, as Lee had just pitched into the eighth inning, as Jose Contreras pitched a shut-out inning to win another emphatic victory for the Phillies.
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