Phillies Start Strong, Can't hold Lead as Cubs Rally
More of the same. More of the same sloppiness from the offense, more of the same bad luck for the pitching. It all happened tonight as the Phillies lost a rain-delayed, home-run replayed game, 4-3.
Where to start. In the second inning, Jimmy Rollins launched a three-run homer, putting behind him the knee ailment he had been dealing with all week. In the third, the sky darkened to an ominous black, bringing out the tarp. With the 1 hour, 17 minute rain delay, Kyle Kendrick was pulled from the game after three excellent innings. Shame too, because Kendrick was solid, giving up just two hits while striking out two.
After Chicago got single runs in the sixth and eighth to make it a game, Ryan Madson imploded, giving up a ninth inning homer to Geovany Soto, tying it up at three. He nearly gave up the lead one batter later as Tyler Colvin hit one to the top of the fence in right field. Fan interference actually saved the Phillies from a 4-3 ninth inning deficit. The fan reached over the fence to catch the ball, so Colvin was sent back to second base after the umpires conferred for a replay. It would not, however, save them from defeat.
A win was within reach in the 10th as the Phillies put two on with two out for Domonic Brown. But batting behind him in the order after a double switch was David Herndon. The Phillies little used reliever was asked to grab a bat because there was no one left in the bullpen, except Mick Billmeyer and Jesus Tiamo. With a base open, the only thing for the Cubs to do was to walk Brown and load the bases for Herndon, who entered 0-for-2 in his career. As expected, Herndon struck out, leaving the bases juiced. The breaks of the game.
In the Cubs half of the 11th, Herndon would allow a leadoff single to Colvin, who then moved to second on a passed ball by Carlos Ruiz. Back to back strikeouts brought Darwin Barney to the plate. A routine grounder to third base became the death of the Phillies as Placido Polanco skipped a ball to Ryan Howard, who could not handle it. Colvin ran hard and scored from second, giving the Cubs the lead.
Ruiz would single to lead off the Phillies half of the 11th, but it ended with three straight outs – Rollins and Polanco flied out to right and Chase Utley flied out to left to end it.
Just your basic night at the ballpark; great pitching, shoddy hitting, and an unpredictable outcome.
