Hudson, Diamondbacks Take Game Two
Well, the offense woke up–the middle of the order, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Ben Francisco, combined to go 7-for-14 with a walk. On its face, one would think that five runs on twelve hits with Roy Oswalt facing a second division lineup would be enough to eke out a key road win, but it was not to be. The Speedwagon was not himself tonight, allowing five earned runs in three innings and not registering a strikeout. While many of the hits were bloopers, Oswalt suffered what was, by far, his shortest outing in a Phillies uniform, and his shortest start since a 7-3 loss to Washington last May 31, when he lasted only 2 1/3 innings while he was still with Houston.
Meanwhile, Daniel Hudson pitched well enough to earn his first win of the year, and while he allowed three earned runs in six innings, he struck out six without walking a batter and added an RBI double in the second inning for good measure. Oswalt left with the score 5-2, leaving the Phillies to stage a comeback.For the first time in ages, the Phillies were able to string together a few hits against a Diamondbacks bullpen that’s been rather hit-or-miss this season, but they were unable to make up the difference. The Phillies had two on and one out in the sixth but were only able to push across one run. Then, an inning later, Ben Francisco struck out with two on and one out, then John Mayberry struck out with two out and the bases loaded.
It might not have mattered had the Phillies bullpen held serve. But after Kyle Kendrick pitched two perfect innings,Mike Zagurski allowed a long foul ball to Miguel Montero, who eventually struck out, then the next batter, Ryan Roberts, banked a home run off the left field foul pole. The next inning, David Herndon failed to cover first on a hard grounder to first. The batter, Kelly Johnson, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a single to make it 7-3. By the time Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco strung together a single and a home run with two out in the ninth, it was too late.
