Phillies 6, Nationals 4 (11 Innings)Game 105 - Sunday Afternoon, August 1st in Washington
Catching up on my game summaries. This one was written after a day on the beach, a night on the boardwalk and way too much Johnson's caramel popcorn. Seriously, I ate a ton of the stuff.
The Phillies needed a win to avoid a sweep at the hands of the middling Strasburg-less Washington Nationals, and they squeaked one out with a few timely bunts. Cole Hamels continues to find his 2008 form, as he pitched 7 solid innings while allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and striking out 10.
The Phils scored a pair in the 1st on an RBI-double from Jayson Werth followed by an RBI-single from Ben Francisco. They scored another pair in the 7th highlighted by a Placido Polanco RBI-double. Polanco would finish the game with 3 hits in 6 at-bats and 2 huge RBIs.
Wilson Valdez led off the 11th with a well placed bunt, and he slid head-first into 1st base to beat the throw from Adam Dunn. Pinch-hitter (!) Roy Oswalt than bunted him over to 2nd. With 2 outs, Polanco hit a clutch single to center to plate Valdez. Polanco would come around to score on Werth's second double of the game. Brad Lidge was summoned to pitch the bottom of the 11th, and thankfully he was able to retire the Nationals in order for his 11th save.
And Now the Bad News: Ryan Howard was forced from the game in the 1st when he slid awkwardly into second, twisting his left ankle backwards. He had to be helped off the field, but x-rays showed no sign of a break, just a bad strain. The only members of the projected starting 8 not to land on the DL so far this year are Werth, Howard and Raul Ibañez.
(Edit - Howard ended up on the DL a few days later.)
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