Game 153 - Wednesday Night, September 22nd in Philadelphia
The Phillies swept the Braves in Philadelphia for the first time since 2001, winning their 10th straight and extending their lead in the NL East to six games with nine to play. Their Magic Number is down to 4, and it's entirely conceivable they could clinch the pennant this weekend against the Mets. Hard to believe, Harry.
We were there tonight and even though we got a little wet at times, it was a terrific ballgame. Roy Oswalt and Tommy Hanson locked in for a pitcher's duel through the first six innings. Oswalt was wonderful, and Martin Prado's double in the 4th was the only hit he allowed. He struck out eight and walked one in his seven innings of work. Unfortunately, the Phillies didn't score until the 8th inning, so Oswalt took the no decision. (He's now 7-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his 11 starts since his trade from the Astros.)
The Phils had their chances, stranding eight base runners through the first seven innings. It took a Jayson Werth 2-out walk followed by a Raul Ibañez double into the left field corner to push across the game's one and only run. With all due respect to Ibañez, I wanted to feature a Brad Lidge baseball card tonight for the tremendous job he's done closing out games recently. He saved his 26th game tonight, alternating between an effective slider and his fast ball to sweep the Braves out of town.
Farewell: This was most likely Braves' manager Bobby Cox' final visit to Philly, and the team paid tribute to the retiring manager in a brief pre-game ceremony. In a classy move, the entire Phillies team lined up outside of their dugout to pay tribute to Cox.
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