Cliff Lee pitched a gem, another absolute gem. But so did Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who held the Phillies to two solo home runs through 7 innings. We had our chances -- failing twice with the bases loaded and 1 out (take a fucking pitch this century, Feliz!) -- but the lead was a slim 2-1 when Lee went out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, his pitch count well over 100 and Ryan Madson warming up in the bullpen. Lee gave up a baserunner and then got Helton to ground weakly to Utley with 1 out. A double play would have ended the inning. A single out would have been nice. But Utley, bothered by runner Dexter Fowler literally leaping over him to avoid running into him, made an awkward backhand toss to Jimmy Rollins at short that Jimmy couldn't field. Fowler was safe. Helton was safe. And Cliff Lee was out of the game. A really, really bad play by Utley -- you take the out at first there -- but it was a bang-bang incident and these things happen, I guess. But it nearly cost us the game. Troy Tulowitski was up (and if I hear one more of those "Tulo" chants by the Coors Field faithful, I may smash my television), so Charlie went to the righthander Madson, who promptly gave up a fading shot to left that defensive replacement Ben Francisco made a miraculous diving catch on. When Tulowitski (I refuse to call him Tulo, that fucking tool) hit the ball, my immediate thought was "Oh shit, no way Ibanez catches that" but then the camera showed an African-American man tracking down the ball, and I was like "oh shit, it's Francisco!" and he made the amazing (and for one brief moment) game-saving catch. Charlie had made a double switch when he brought in Madson that can only be described as brilliant, which has to be the first time in history anyone anywhere has called our manager brilliant. But I digress. 2 outs, 2 on. Bottom of the 8th and we're still clinging to a 1-run lead.
Colorado calls on Jason Giambi to pinch hit (yes, I was just as shocked as you that he's on the Rockies) and he fists a first pitch fastball into left field, this time in front of Francisco, and Fowler scores to tie the game. It wasn't a bad pitch. It wasn't a great swing. But it was a base hit. And if it weren't for Utley's error, the inning would have been over. Yorvit Torrealba, who destroyed Cole Hamels in game 2 but did nothing in game 3, followed with a smash over Victorino's head in center and Helton and Giambi scored, the latter all the way from first. That was a horrible pitch by Madson, and I was more than a little pissed to see him celebrating so gleefully in the locker room after the game. But I digress again. I switched channels in anger at this point, so I don't know how he got the last out, but eventually we went to the 9th, now down 4-2, and all of the sudden facing a game 5, tomorrow, back in Philly. Not good times.
The ninth spot (Francisco) was first to bat, and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs (a shell of his pinch-hitting self from a year ago) struck out on five pitches. Huston Street looked strong, and he jumped ahead of Jimmy Rollins. But Rollins -- just like the night before -- put on a masterful at-bat, evened the count and then singled sharply up the middle -- just like the night before. Jimmy has struggled mightily this series -- hell, this whole season -- and I'm using a ton of dashes in this game recap, but Jimmy came through when it counted the last two nights, setting the stage for both big wins. I tip my cap to him. And to his speed for beating out the throw from Clint Barmes, who managed to make a diving stop on his shot up the middle. Victorino followed with a weak grounder over the pitcher's head that I thought for a brief moment might get through, but the Rockies were crowding the middle and Barmes fielded it easily, tossing to Tulowitski for the easy out. There was no chance for a double play, though, so we were still theoretically alive.
4-2, 2 outs, man on first. Utley at the plate. And if you thought Rollins' at-bat was clutch and beautiful, then you really have to tip your hat to Chase as well. I begged him to hit a home run to make up for his fielding blunder the previous inning. He didn't, but he drew a walk in impressive fashion, working the count just like Rollins and not offering at Street's offerings just off the plate. Street missed on a 3-2 pitch and all of the sudden, Ryan Howard came to the plate with the winning run on base. And Howard, taking a cue from Rollins and Utley, laid off a couple tough pitches out of the strike zone, forcing Street to come at him with a 2-1 fastball. And Ryan smoked the fuck out of it. The ball cleared right fielder Carlos Gonzalez's head, one hopped off the fence, and Victorino and Utley scored to tie the game. Victorino actually missed third base while watching the ball -- why are you watching the ball, Shane! -- and Utley nearly caught him running to home, but he didn't, they both avoided Howard's bat that next batter Jayson Werth didn't clear, and the game was tied. 4-4. Woo hoo! But we weren't done.
Werth got ahead 2-1 as well, but swung and missed at a good Street slider to make the count 2-2. A similar pitch followed and Werth, in defensive mode, just tried to put it in play. He hit it off the end of the bat and it flared into right field for a clean single. Howard scored from second without a throw and all of the sudden, the Phillies had the lead. Woo hoo! But, oops, now we have to pitch the ninth. And Madson is out of the game, not to mention Cliff Lee. Lidge time? Aaaaaaaaaah!
But Charlie made another brilliant move (in retrospect) and brought in Scott Eyre -- the guy I assumed was out for the series when he rolled his ankle the night before and hobbled off the field. The Rockies were going with a lefty pinch hitter (probably slugger Brad Hawpe) if he'd brought in Lidge (or any righty), but instead Jim Tracy sent up the last righty on the bench, young speedster Eric Young, the son of former Rutgers and Rockies speedster Eric Young Sr, who hit a routine grounder to short that he would have beaten out if Jimmy didn't have such a great arm. 1 out. The best hitter in baseball Carlos Gonzalez was up next, though, and he got his 10th (yes, 10th!) hit of the series, putting the tying run on base. Eyre got Fowler out on a soft liner to short, but Todd Helton refused to lose and hit a clean single up the middle bringing up none other than Troy Tulo-lulo-fuck-that-stupid-Tulo-chant-you-loser-fucking-Rockies-fans-witski, with 2 runners on and 2 outs. And Charlie made the only move he really could, go to the bullpen and bring in Brad Lidge, who'd been warming up alone out there all inning.
Lidge threw five pitches to the Rockies shortstop. Not a single one of them was a fastball. And the first pitch was a questionable called strike. In fact, only the third pitch, a knee-buckling slider across the middle of the plate, was impressive. But Lidge had him 2-2 and threw a slider in the dirt that Tulo-my-season's-over-witski tried to check his swing on and didn't. And the series was over. Phillies win! Phillies win! Brad Lidge saves the last two games of the series! And the Phillies win!
Ryan Howard was a freaking superstar (hitting .385 with 6 RBIs). Cliff Lee was an ace. Jimmy Rollins had the two best at-bats of the series. And Chase Utley was nearly perfect, except for a single tough play in the field. But Brad freaking Lidge became the story of the series, saving two games that were lost by Rockies closer Huston Street, turning our biggest deficiency coming into the series into a relative strength, or at least not a disaster like happened to Street and Jonathan Papelbon and Ryan Franklin. Survive and advance. Survive and advance.
So it's Thursday, in LA, against a Dodgers team we dispatched in 5 games in last year's run to the World Series, and I sure hope we can do the same. I'll be in Kansas City, watching in a hotel room, and hopefully celebrating the fuck out of another win. Go Hamels!
Excellent article. I have never seen such great article on the Miracle Win. This win is really a miracle win.
Posted by: buoyancy aids | November 18, 2009 at 03:52 AM