Phillies move into first in NL East for first time in three months
For most of the season it looked as if the Philadelphia Phillies did not have a chance to win a fourth consecutive division title. But with an 8-7 win over the Florida Marlins Tuesday night, it appears as if they might be able to after all.
Phillies starting pitcher, Joe Blanton looked good going one out into the seventh inning before getting pulled for reliever Antonio Bastardo with a one run lead. Chad Durbin finished off the inning with the lead still intact.
When Durbin handed the ball over to Jose Contreras for the eighth inning, the Phillies had stretched the lead out to 7-4. The Marlins made short work of that lead getting three hits off Contreras and scoring three runs to tie the game at 7-7.
Placido Polanco was the hero on the day. With the game tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the eighth, he hit a single to right field, allowing Shane Victorino to score, giving the Phillies the lead once again at 8-7. Ryan Madson got the last four outs of the game, three of them by strike out, to earn the win. The Phillies normal closer, Brad Lidge, was not available due to soreness in his elbow.
After losing many of their starters to injuries throughout the season, it appears as if the Phillies may be getting healthy at just the right time.
“There’s a lot of baseball left,” Victorino said. “We are where we wanted to be now. We’re in position to control our destiny.”
Fans were treated to a trio of home runs by the home team. Raul Ibanez hit the first of the day in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Marlins. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard each added one as part of a three-run fifth inning for the Phillies, giving them the lead at 5-4.
With the win, the Phillies improved their record to 80-60 on the season. Thanks to the Pittsburgh Pirates defeating the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies moved into first place in the NL East by half a game. They had been behind by as many as seven games.
“It’s always good to be in first. That’s the only way to live,” said Phillies manager, Charlie Manuel.
Cole Hamels will look to keep the Phillies in first when he takes the mound on Wednesday in the final game of the three game series with the Marlins. Andrew Miller is set to do so for the Marlins. The Phillies currently lead the season series between the two teams, 8-5.
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