Thursday, October 09, 2008
Game 1 NLCS Dodgers-Phillies
Update: 11:00
Lidge on for the 9th and Philly three outs away from taking a 1-0 series lead. Kemp - Blake - DeWitt due up for Los Angeles.
For all that success that Lidge has had this year in the regular season, I can't help thinking of that majestic marvelous blast that Pujols hit in the NLCS three years ago as he steps to the mound now . . .
Fly ball to center. 1 out.
Throwing a lot of off-speed stuff.
Looked like a split to get him to 1-2 on Blake.
Tried it again and buried it in the dirt.
3-2.
Fly ball to Victorino in center, a step in front of the track. 2 outs. Three minutes in front of 11:00.
A crisp, well-played, well-pitched game that isn't keeping me until past midnight. I am grateful.
1-2, and Lidge's stuff looks very good here.
Citizens Bank Park in a frenzy.
Strike three, ball gets away and Ruiz fires to first. Game over, Phillies three wins away from the World Series for the first time since 1993.
Time of game: 2:36. Too bad every game that starts after 8:00 can't be that efficient.
Good day of baseball coming up tomorrow. NLCS in the afternoon, ALCS at night.
Update: 10:43
Greg Maddux held the Phillies scoreless in the 7th, despite a lead-off single. So Taguchi popped up the sacrifice bunt attempt, which helped kill any semblance of a rally.
The Phillies go with Ryan Madson to start the 8th. Some numbers on Madson this year:
IP: 82.2; H: 79; HR: 6; K: 67; BB: 23; WHIP: 1.23; ERA: 3.05
Ethier strikes out leading off. McCarver calls Madson's change-up "the best on the Phillies' staff."
Manny lines out to 3rd on the 1st pitch. Two away.
Madson's ERA was identical this year and in 2007, albeit in 26.2 more innings of work this year.
Martin reaches on a hard shot to 3rd, which a better 3rd baseman would've made a play on. Ruled a single, fairly, but wasn't an impossible play to make.
Joe Buck reminds us that Philly hasn't lost this year when leading after 8. That will be put to the test tonight as Madson gets a ground ball to 2nd off the bat of Loney.
Onto the 9th.
Update: 10:25
Hamels just over 90 pitches to start the 7th. And strikes out DeWitt for his 7th K.
Kent is pinch-hitting in the pitcher's spot.
This will be an interesting test for the Phillies' pen, as this is probably it for Hamels. Although his stuff looks very good, better now than it did in the early part of the game.
100 pitches and has Kent 2-2.
Struck him out with a fastball. 92 on the Fox gun.
Has Furcal down 0-2. Groundball out, and the Phillies will turn over at least a one-run lead to the pen at the start of the 8th.
Update: 10:13
This series already has a great feel to it, and it's only in the 6th inning of Game 1. I imagine most of the games are going to be like this: close, dramatic and hinging on one or two plays in the later innings.
I came into this series pulling for the Phillies as I think they would give the Red Sox a better fight, but I'm not 100% certain of that.
Another shot off of Lowe in the 6th. Burrell hit an absolute laser to left for a 3-2 lead. Lowe looks shocked, and Uncle Joe is heading out to the mound to get him.
He was cruising along through 4 2/3 -- then he gave up the two singles with two outs in the 5th (one to the pitcher), but got Rollins to fly out. No big deal. Then the error and the two bombs, and now his outing looks rather pedestrian and he's on the hook for the loss.
Update: 10:07
Victorino leads off the bottom of the 6th. Another ground ball . . . but no out this time. Furcal threw wide to 1st, and Victorino ends up on 2nd base.
That's really an ill-timed error; Lowe was moderately on the ropes in the 5th, allowing two base runners to reach with two outs. Now an error allows Philly to get their lead-off hitter in scoring position.
Hung a pitch to Utley, and the game is tied at 2. A towering fly ball home run to right.
First Post: 10:01 p.m.
Top of the 6th now in Philadelphia with the Dodgers up 2-0. Both pitchers are on their game, with Lowe that much more impressive, and the Phillies' offense being that much more stagnant. Derek Lowe has 11 ground outs; Cole Hamels has 6 strikeouts. And he just induced a 6-4-3 DP to erase a lead-off single.
Another ground ball to Rollins. Onto the bottom of the 6th.
