2003 Ultra #45 Marlon Byrd

Cubs 12, Phillies 6

Game 88 - Thursday Night, July 15th in Chicago

So pretty much all the excitement surrounding the start of the 2nd half was gone by the end of the 3rd inning of last night's match-up. By then, the Cubs were ahead, 6-2, and Jamie Moyer had been knocked out of the ballgame after his second straight rough outing. Moyer allowed 6 runs on 5 hits, including a couple of home runs to Derek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. He also hit a few batters, just for good measure.

It started off looking good for the Phils when Ryan Howard crushed a ball in the 1st for a 2-run home run, his 18th of the season. But those would be the only runs scored by the team until they pushed across four in the 9th, capped by Howard's 19th home run. Overall it was a dreadful way to kick of the 2nd half.

Other Game Stuff: Jose Contreras was absolutely lit up in the 7th, allowing 5 runs in 2/3 of an inning and putting the game out of reach. Wilson Valdez (.256) now has a higher batting average than Jimmy Rollins (.248), Shane Victorino (.252) and Raul Ibañez (.246). Current Cub All-Star Marlon Byrd didn't do much in this game, but since half my 2003 Phillies baseball card binder is comprised of his cards, I thought I'd feature another one of his gems. It's the least I could do for a guy hit by pitches twice last night.