Just the way they drew it up, I’m sure.
The Phillies somehow, someway, come away with a 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing off their seven-game road trip 4-3.
Kyle Kendrick threw seven strong innings, again, but did not factor in the decision. He was hurt, as Phillies pitchers seem to be so often this season, by the lack of an offense. However, KK lowered his ERA to 2.47. Brandon McCarthy, he of the 6.75 ERA going into the game, shut them down over eight innings. But everything changed when Arizona went to the bullpen.
Heath Bell allowed two runs on doubles by Chase Utley and Delmon Young, then an RBI single by Dom Brown to tie it at two. Then in the 10th, off a lefty who had not allowed a run all season – Matt Reynolds – Ryan Howard deposited a two-run single for the W.
Maddening. Frustrating. It all applies to the team. They win the first two of the road trip, the first against Cy Young candidate Madison Bumgarner, then lose three straight, then win the final two. They scored 12 runs the first two games, then 13 runs over the final five.
This team is impossible to figure out right now. But alas, they do what they had to do, and that’s win more than they lost on a tough road swing out west.
