Utley, Stairs Power Phillies In Comeback Win
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sun, April 12, 2009 06:36 PM | Comments: 42
2009 Recaps, Posts
On October 13, 2008, pinch hitter Matt Stairs pummeled a ball into the Los Angeles night to give the Phillies a 7-5 lead and the eventual win of that score.
Almost exactly six months later, Stairs repeated that moment, leading the Phils to a 7-5 win over the Rockies.
Stairs’ homer came in the ninth, after Chase Utley nailed a clutch two-run bomb to tie the score in the eighth. It was the culmination of a comeback that came after starter Chan Ho Park debuted with a sour line: 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 K. They chipped away early with an RBI hit by Raul Ibanez and two RBI by Jayson Werth, who had a fine series in Colorado.
Not to be outdone, the Phils bullpen was superb. Chad Durbin mopped up Park’s mess with a strong two inning outing. Scott Eyre followed with a clutch hold in the sixth, then Clay Condrey pitched a scoreless seventh. With a tie, Ryan Madson secured the score with a stunning eighth, and Brad Lidge gutted out his second save of the season.
The Phillies are now sitting at .500.
Posts: 0 Clare
And never looking back!
Posted: 06:43 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Greg V.
STAIRS 3:16!!!
Posted: 06:44 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Sean
Correction – Stairs homered in the 9th, Utley in the 8th.
Posted: 06:51 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Ryan
Matt Stairs is a god among men!
Posted: 06:52 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Jordan
.500!!!!
Posted: 06:53 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Havoc
Big win for the phils. I’m glad the bats are working since it looks like we’re gonna need them to pick up the rotation’s slack for a while. Gotta love this team though they just don’t give up.
Posted: 06:55 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Brian Michael
Madson looked naaasty in the eighth.
Posted: 07:16 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Evan
Stairs and Utley both had clutch 2 run HRs. Lets give the bullpen the Ashburn. What a bright spot for the team. Charlie managed them to perfection in this game.
Posted: 07:23 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
Stairs came through big-time tonight, give props to the pen. After a terrible outing by Park that looked to have the Phils done for the night that was 5 2/3 shutout innings with a collective WHIP under 1. You have to excuse the bad outings because boy is this relieving crew something special.
This team has a chance because when the money men aren’t yet in the zone there are guys here doing their part to keep the wheels rolling.
Posted: 07:28 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
Well, Chan Ho Park was absolutely terrible. Two more starts like that and JA Happ will take his place.
The bullpen was EXCELLENT, outstanding shutdown work and good chipping away comeback by the offense.
Posted: 07:43 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
AND..theyve got like 5 guys with major league bullpen experience stashed away down in AAA just in case…AWESOME!! We never realized it before last year since the Phils always had a terrible pen, but a good bullpen is a HUGE weapon.
Posted: 07:45 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Matt Stairs
Our starters aint real good right now. Someone’s gotta do it.
Posted: 07:49 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 tim mccarver sucks
A tradition unlike anyother Matt Stairs pinch hit home runs in 5-5 ties situations
Posted: 07:58 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Richie Allen
A lot of prople were pulling for Park in the spring ….I still say he is not very good….he had something like one good year in 7…last year was a fluke..
Give the ball to Happ .
But anyway good game today after the first 3 innings,the pen gave us enough time to score runs and come back..just like its supposed to be.
Extra case of beer for Stairs..
Posted: 08:20 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Mazinman
Matt Stairs is quickly becoming one of my favorite pitch hitters of all time with those clutch shots. Its definately been a roller coaster of a week and we are very lucky to be at .500. Still enough bright spots to keep me optimistic for the rest of the year.
Posted: 08:24 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Phillies Phan SC
Maybe we did it wrong; maybe we should try the following starting rotation:
Durbin
Condrey
Myers
Happ
Eyre
It seems the mid-relievers are doing great and the starters are struggling. I am kdding, but all of the wins are comback wins so far, which is fine, but… How far can the bulpen go this season if the Phillies starters cannot get it together?
Posted: 08:25 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Brooks
The Phils are winning despite really bad starting pitching and no Jimmy Rollins. Phillies starting pitching has given up 13 hrs in 6 games. Hell, Meyers has given up 6 all by himself (just for kicks and giggles, if he were to say start 32 games this would project to say approximately 96 hrs against him).
Jimmy is hitting .107 with 3 hits in 28 at bats all singles, not even an attempt for a base swipe and somehow, the Phils are winning a fair share of games.
The Phils need starting pitching to make even a random showing, at least once or twice a week – Jimmy needs to get off the schnide and we can all feel better.
Seriously, as it stands now, a 3-3 record with a team ERA of 6.45? Should we consider the Phils lucky to have a win or 2?
Looking forward to seeing some decent starting pitching. Looking forward to seeing Jimmy get on base and at least try to steal, Looking forward to Ryans first HR of the year. Looking forward to Greg Dobbs getting some key hits –
Time to wakey wakey fellas!
Posted: 08:38 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 griffin
Stairs=Legend
Great comeback win. The starting pitchers have an ERA over 9.00 so far and yet the team is somehow 3-3.
Posted: 09:00 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 130 Amanda Orr
Crazy how its almost exactly 6 months later, same score, and same hero as the NLCS.. And 2 run homeruns in the 8th tied both games.
Not only that but Madson was the winner for the NLCS game four, and today. Lidge got the save for both games.
Posted: 09:15 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 River
what’s even better is that johan struck out 12 or 13 guys today and the mets still lost. if it ain’t their bullpen, it’s their anemic offense. woooooo.
Posted: 09:45 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Phillies Phan SC
Brooks,
Good points. I love my Phillies, but the Atlanta game was given to them and they took advantage of the breaks in Sunday’s game. I agree, time for them to wake up, but like their true fashion – they will in May LOL.
Just be patient.
Posted: 10:25 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Mark
Moyer is pitching someone pass the tums. Please Charlie put J.A. in for Park. Park is a bum who will never pitch well. Look at his career.
Posted: 10:32 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Manny
I’m going tomorrow to the DC game! Let’s go Phils! I’m counting on you, Jamie Moyer.
Posted: 10:53 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 christopher
the bullpen looking this good so far makes the weak start for the rotation much easier to swallow. two fun, if tense, games in a row. these next two series coming up this week are two they should win… build up some momentum fellas.
as for park, i wouldn’t tolerate even one more start like that. he looked completely ineffective out there. one more bad start and i’d give happ the ball the next turn in the rotation. happ and park are essentially there to play the same roll- swingman between the bullpen and rotation for long relief and 5th/spot starts. no reason to feel any loyalty to the 5th starter right now, just run with whoever is pitching well.
Posted: 10:55 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Manny
I’m agree with christopher… One more bad start from Park, and Happ should step in.
Posted: 11:00 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Mike D
Drinking game: at the end of any comeback win, take a drink for every run we were down by, and then take a drink by every run we win by.
Let’s give Park one more chance – he’s never pitched well at Coors. Before putting the nail in his coffin, let’s see how well he does pitching against the Padres at home next Saturday. If he sucks then, come back, Happ.
Posted: 11:50 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 ryan
A Matt Stairs majestic moonshot homerun is a beautiful work of art equivalent to a fine Picasso or a Mozart Symphony. It’s such a beautiful thing.
Posted: 11:58 PM on April 12, 2009
Posts: 0 Shawn Victorino
another exciting win tonight, glad to see them at .500! keep the offense hot guys, the pitching will come, oh yes..the pitching will come
Posted: 01:13 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 joshb
I support Park, at least for now. Happ isn’t God’s gift to the world, please get off of his nuts.
Posted: 05:37 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Brooks
Happy Easter everyone!
Could not have been better, especially topped off by a sweet win like yesterdays.
Phils Phan is correct, patience is a virtue with this starting pitching! That said, if you yank Park out of the starting rotation now, why not the same with the piss-poor performances by Meyers, Moyer & Hamels?
I don’t know what is going on but it’s so early worrying about it seems like huge waste of time.
Counter point:
Does anyone remember if Hamels had even one of these outings last year? Did he leave a game before the 5th inning last year at all?
Posted: 07:05 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 mike
Chan Ho Park to me was never a good pitcher, especially as a starter. I think his best role is mop up in blowouts or a 6 inning pitcher he can pitch some innings. Rather give Happ a chance to see if he can help. This rotation has to hold the fort for a season for carrasco and maybe Drabek will be ready too. Drabek is he stays healty has a shot to be a one or two at the least.
Posted: 08:00 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
Everyone that has Happ taking over for Park are the same people that also had Happ taking over for Moyer.. we going with a 4-man rotation (3 if Hamels needs a DL stint)..
Lets all relax.. Park won the job in Spring Training.. and Coor’s is a hitter’s park, anyone that was expecting a great outing wasn’t being realistic. The 3 walks worries me more than the 7 Hits.. but it’s early and Park’s schedule has been off since Spring Training broke
Posted: 09:35 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Chuck P
It’s wayyyyy too early to change it up… I’m not making excuses for Park (he has to give us more) but Coors is a tough place to pitch and if you throw in the fact that his last start was two weeks ago and the rain/wind… I think a mulligan is deserved.
I also thought heading into Friday, the Phillies first game on the road, at Coors, it was a bad place to start Hamels.
Our starters need to pick it up… overworking the pen is something that could come back and bite us later.
My dad doesn’t really follow sports… he’s happier watching John Wayne movies and war flicks. He is now a Matt Stairs fan… we were watching he comeback and I was like, “Dad, wait ’till you see this guy… he’s 41 years old and all he does is swing for the fences.” Three pitches later, he parked it and my dad was sitting there laughing hysterically.
Posted: 09:47 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Georgie
Went out for Easter dinner yesterday, recorded the game, and it stopped recording at the beginning of the 9th inning. I hadn’t heard the final score, so what did I do? Logged in right here, and in no time got the rest of the story, bummed that I missed the Stairs blast though, but at least it’s a W. Felt bad for Park, I say give him another chance, we can’t pull all of our starters, even though they all pretty much sucked so far.
Posted: 10:20 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 christopher
“Everyone that has Happ taking over for Park are the same people that also had Happ taking over for Moyer”
not at all in my case. i expect a good year from jamie.
“The 3 walks worries me more than the 7 Hits..”
exactly. it isn’t the fact he got hit that worries me. it’s the fact he had no composure on the mound, couldn’t locate his pitches, and had no out pitch aside from one or two nasty backdoor sliders.
Posted: 11:48 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Rob
Geoff, I guarantee you Happ doesn’t see this team in April OR May. June if he’s lucky.
Posted: 11:53 AM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 mike
Point is park never was a good starting pitcher for any more than the one good year I remember, rather give happ a chance to show us if he is the answer and if not start seeing what’s available. This isn’t about one start in coors field, but about his career as a starter. What did happ do not to deserve a chance?
Posted: 01:13 PM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Bruce
Huh…Rob? Happ is “seeing” this team… from the Phillies’ bullpen. ;-)
Posted: 01:14 PM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
Um, if Park has two more bad starts hes out, Happ in. If Moyer has 4 or 5 more bad starts hes out, Happ or Carrasco in. If anything else goes wrong with more than two starts, they have to make a trade.
Posted: 01:21 PM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
Park would move to the 6th-7th inning role. Moyer would have to retire.
Posted: 01:25 PM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Bruce
Geoff, you and your ultimatums..chuckles. It doesn’t quite work that way with MLB teams…maybe with “fantasy” baseball. Six games into the season, and you’re speculating(?) possible moves and roster changes? The only changes one may see in the early going are determined by injuries (such as Marson filling in for Ruiz). I see no cause for concern at this time other than the wish for Hamels to regain his form of last year.
Posted: 01:43 PM on April 13, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
Bruce…my point is they have enough rotataion depth to account for two changes to the starting rotation – with Happ and Carrasco. After that, theres no one in AAA that we really know of right now thats ready to come and step in, so youd think theyd have to make a trade then. BUT haveing 7 possible starters over 5 means that theres room for error. BUT you also cant let Park and Moyer or anyone else continue to pitch poorly. After a certain amount of time you gotta cut them off. Make no mistake, this is a HUGE start tonight for Moyer.
Posted: 01:47 PM on April 13, 2009