Tough Losses and Big Events

Well, Padres returned the favor.  After the Phillies snatched the first game of the series with a bottom of the ninth game-winner, San Diego responded last night with a three-run homer in the final frame.  Scott Mathieson pitched a solid eight innings allowing three runs off six hits while recording five strikeouts and no walks – although two of the runs allowed came off a homer by Padres pitcher Jake Peavy. ( Talk about something that needs to change in the second half of the season – giving up hits to opposing pitchers is killing this team.)  In the ninth, Arthur Rhodes, who took the loss, put two men on before yielding to Tom Gordon; and for the second night in a row, Gordon failed to deliver.  He served up a three-run shot to Khalil Greene to give the Padres a 6-3 lead and eventual victory.  I don’t know, but perhaps the recognition as a closer via his All-Star nod has thrown Gordon off his game a bit.

I’m about to board a plane back to the promised land, I call Philadelphia, so I’ll make this last part quick.  Check out our new Events page, which will keep you updated on all the Phillies Nation tailgate parties, road trips, and other fun festivities.  There you can also find a recap of our bus trip to DC which was a huge success and may lead to another one to see the Phils battle the Mets up in Flushing.  For a slideshow recap of the DC trip, click the picture below.