The bats came out to play, bailing out a bad inning by Joe Blanton while crushing Reds pitching to the tune of 12-5.
Chase Utley led the charge for the Phillies, going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, his 11th. Raul Ibanez hit his team-leading 15th homer, while Ryan Howard (10) and Greg Dobbs (1) both chipped in for a lefty-heavy lineup that had their way with starter Micah Owings and a host of Cincinnati relievers.
Jimmy Rollins continued his scorching ways at the plate with a 4-for-6 afternoon with two runs scored. Pedro Feliz blew the game open in the seventh with a two-run pinch-hit single. Feliz was hitting .457 with runners in scoring position going into the game, and now he’s hitting .310 on the season, fourth among National League third sackers.
Joe Blanton was sharp for four innings, then got hit around in the fifth, capped by a Brandon Phillips home run. Blanton’s line of 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H could have been a lot better, but there’s still reason to be very nervous about his turn in the rotation. Luckily the bullpen was sterling yet again – Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, new reliever Chan Ho Park and Sergio Escalona combined for four scoreless frames. Park threw 25 pitches in his inning; Escalona threw 13.
The Phillies will now travel to Yankee Stadium with a 6-1 road trip already notched in their belts.
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