Friday was a laugher as soon as David Bell hit his first career grand slam in the third inning to make it 5-1. The Phils tacked on two more and coasted to a 7-1 win behind Vicente Padilla and two relievers.
The Saturday game was a crusher. The Nats took a 2-0 lead off Eude Brito in the first, and added two more in the eighth to hand a 4-1 lead to closer Chad Cordero, who has been virtually untouchable this season. I switched over to watch "Crimson Tide" on one of the hinterland channels in disgust after the two insurance runs. In what has become a recurring theme of this blog, I completely missed the Phillies stirring comeback. While Gene Hackman was recruiting Denzel Washington to help him possibly nuke the Russkies, Ryan Howard hit a two run homer, and Bell hit his second dinger in as many nights to tie it at 4-4. The game dragged on into the twelfth inning (and the movie's second act) after the Phillies blew a bases-loaded one-out opportunity in the 11th when J-Roll couldn't get his grounder past Brad Wilkerson at first. Wilkerson threw home for the force, and the Phils rally died when Kenny Lofton bounced out to short. I was watching Denzel relieve Gene of his captain's duties when Aquilino Lopez gave up Preston Wilson's bleeder over first base to score Jose Guillen with the winning run.
On Sunday, we got up early and headed down to DC for the rubber match. I bought the tickets on eBay because the only available seats from the Nats web site were in the upper deck, and my wife gave me strict instructions to stay on the field level due to her fear of heights. I think she'd rather we stayed on the ground floor of the King of Prussia Mall, but I didn't give her that option. We ended up in short left, eight rows from the field. There were several Phillies fans in the vicinity. I could tell by the faint aroma of hopelessness. And the Utley jerseys. But mostly the hopelessness.
The Phils came into the game in big trouble with their pitching staff. Robbie Tejeda was out with an undisclosed shoulder problem, forcing the scuffling rookie Gavin Floyd to start the game. To add to the woes, the bullpen was shot from last night's 12-inning affair, meaning if Floyd continued to struggle, the options were unappetizing to say the least. What wasn't unappetizing were the RFK french fries. I picked up an order and my wife and I shared them for lunch before gametime. So good. After that high point, the day went down hill. Floyd retired the side in order in the first despite not being able to control his curve. In the second, Preston Wilson belted a leadoff double, and Floyd hit Vinnie Castilla with his unruly breaking ball. Rich Dubee came out for a mound conference, and I think he told Floyd to trust his fastball. Gavin did just that on the first pitch, and Brian Schneider hit it about 390 feet to right to make it 3-0. Thanks, Rich.
Floyd got out of the second inning, and then started getting the curve over for strikes. He had some trouble in the fourth but escaped without damage. Meanwhile, Nats starter Esteban Loaiza was brilliant, benefiting from an enormous Chris Guccione (no relation to Bob, I suppose) strike zone. The lady sitting next to me was worried when David Bell and Mike Lieberthal were due up in the top of the 7th and Loaiza was over 100 pitches. I explained to her about "the black hole", and Bell and Lieby backed me up by going down weakly, followed by Inning Endy Chavez pinch-whiffing for Floyd.
Aaron Fultz came on to face the left-handed Brad Wilkerson in the bottom of the seventh and walked him. On came Mr. Unappetizing, Pedro Liriano. Marlon Byrd pinch hit and laid down a good sac bunt, and then Liriano walked Jose Guillen to put runners on first and second. Preston Wilson then hit a no-doubter that looked that it might never come down from my vantage point. It hit the facing of the upper deck (see photo below) to put the Nats up 6-0. J-Roll and J-Mike broke the shutout with a double and single, and that was it. The Nats won it 6-1.
Tonight we start a 10 game home stand with the Astros, one of the teams directly behind us. Brett Myers faces Andy Pettitte in the opener. Oswalt pitches tomorrow for Houston, but we get Brandon Backe instead of the Rocket on Wednesday.
Enjoy some photos from Sunday's game. If you roll over the photo, there is some text explaining it. You can even see my chicken-scratch scorecard.
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