Phillies Rally Late, Take Series Against Cardinals

The Phillies win last night was huge.  It was the kind of game they would have lost a couple weeks ago.  The offense, was for the most part, cold for the majority of the game and it looked as though they were going to squander a chance to widen their lead in the NL East.  That all changed with one swing of the bat, turning what could have been another frustrating loss into a gutsy come-from-behind victory.

Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, Pat Burrell knocked a clutch two-out RBI single to tie the game.  Shane Victorino, who had replaced Geoff Jenkins in the 7th, followed with a three-run homer to right field to give the Phils a 5-2 lead.

The three run cushion nearly wasn’t enough.  The back-end of the Phillies bullpen, which has done an excellent job this year — probably better than anyone expected heading into this season — made things interesting to say the least.  Chad Durbin allowed an eighth inning run, but the Phillies were able to escape the frame when Ryan Madson induced an inning-ending double play off the bat of Ryan Ludwick.  In the ninth, Brad Lidge allowed a lead-off home run by Troy Glaus and then proceeded to load the bases with one out.  Seven pitches later the game was over as Lidge was able to strikeout rookies Nick Stavinoha and Joe Mather to end the threat and the game.

This was the kind of victory that playoff teams are able to pull off.  The Phillies got another strong outing from Brett Myers and were able to keep the game close enough to pull it out in the end.  Though the offense struggled, they were able to piece together a rally late in the game.  As the stretch run draws near, wins like last night’s can really help a team build momentum.  With a huge series against the second-place Marlins looming, let’s hope that holds true.