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A.J. Burnett extended the Phillies winning streak to five games, tossing a complete game surrendering just one run and scattering seven hits and one walk en route to a 5-1 win. The Phillies are now just 3.5 games out of first place in the NL East.
Burnett Does it For Grandma
Tonight’s game was extra special for Burnett who noted it was the first time he was ever able to pitch in front of his grandmother in person. Burnett was living in the low 90’s the entire game and credited Chooch with a mid-game adjustment away from the breaking ball to the change-up to improve his effectiveness. Burnett used the change-up effectively, forcing 15 ground balls and lowered his ERA to 3.89.
Bats String Together Hits at Just the Right Time
Burnett surrendered a single to Matt Holliday in the third that allowed Matt Carpenter to score. But Burnett would ensure that the Phillies got the run right back. Burnett smashed a double off the center field wall to drive in John Mayberry, who was on second with a double. Jimmy Rollins would hit a double of his own as the next batter to give the Phillies a 2-1, a lead they would not surrender.
Marlon Byrd would hit his 12th homer in the sixth. Byrd would be followed by a Domonic Brown double, who would be driven in by a Mayberry single. A sac fly by J-Rol ran the score up to 5-1, where it would conclude.
It is worth noting that the game was delayed about an hour for storms in the St. Louis area. There was a giant swarm of moths that appeared late in the game, around the seventh inning. Oddly, this did not effect the pitchers, at least from a run-scoring perspective.
The Phillies go for their sixth-straight, and series, win tomorrow as they send Cole Hamels to the mound against Adam Wainwright at 4:10 PM.
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