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Good. the Mets
Phils trim NL East magic number to one
Howard's homer, Utley's double back Blanton's solid effort
PHILADELPHIA -- The ball seared through the mist, rising quickly into the black sky as it went, illuminated only by stadium lights and thousands of white rally towels.
By the time Ryan Howard's three-run drive found the bushes in center field, the cloth-waving frenzy and accompanying roars reached a crescendo. With each measured step around the bases, the team's September MVP -- and perhaps National League MVP -- glided in stride.
"That was a monster, man," manager Charlie Manuel said. "It was fighting the wind."
His teammates found their stride, too. With an 8-4 victory over the Nationals on Friday night, the Phillies eclipsed last year's win total in a season when that was required. They reached 90 wins (90-70) for the first time since 1993, when they won 97.
Though the game, and the Shea Stadium event some 90 miles away were still in their respective infancy, the fact that New York trailed and Philadelphia led told an excitable crowd of 44,145 that the playoffs were much, much closer.
When the final out of the Mets' loss was recorded, the Phillies guaranteed themselves at least a tie for the division lead.
It's so close they can taste it.
"Honestly, yeah," said closer Brad Lidge, who secured the ninth inning. "Tonight, the juices were flowing. It's definitely feeling like that. We have a lot of adrenaline. We're so close."
While scenarios remain in which the Phillies can still end up watching the postseason, their mission is simple: Win Saturday and a trip to the playoffs is assured.
Should the Phillies be winning big, Lidge wants the ball for the ninth.
"If it was 100-0 [Saturday], I'd be throwing the ninth inning," Lidge said. "There's no scenario where I'm not going to force myself out there."
Lidge had a door to slam on the strength of Howard's bat. The first baseman has surged with a .349 average, 11 homers and 32 RBIs in September. His RBI total set a franchise record for September, besting Gary Matthews' 31 in 1981.
Howard's first-inning home run was predictable. Nationals rookie Collin Balester had allowed one-out singles to Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, bringing Howard to the plate.
After fouling off the first offering, Howard smacked the next pitch out. So much for Philadelphia's two-game losing streak.
"He's locked in, especially down the stretch, when it's so important," Greg Dobbs said. "He's not shying away. He's one of the guys that everyone looks to. He's embracing it and putting us on his back. That's what players do during crunch time."
Starter Joe Blanton did his part, too, working six innings and allowing four runs, only one of which was earned. His night got easier with seven runs of support in the first two innings.
Forty minutes after the game, two televisions were turned on in the clubhouse. One showed the Mets losing to the Marlins and the other displayed the Brewers roaring past the Cubs.
It really doesn't matter what happens in that regard. A Phillies win Saturday will guarantee two playoff games at Citizens Bank Park. A win or Mets loss on Saturday would also allow for Cole Hamels to rest Sunday and throw Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
"I like our position, but I'll like it a lot better when we're two up with one to play," Manuel said. "That would be good. That's when I'll crack champagne, dance and sing and everything."
The players are ready for that. The hooks above the lockers remain from last season, ready to hang plastic to protect belongings. Clubhouse personnel will likely work through the night to secure that plastic above each locker.
Everything will be prepared, just in case.
Lidge will be ready, old-school style, and won't plan to protect his eyes with goggles.
"[Champagne] burns a little bit," Lidge said. "It's all part of it."
Good. the Mets
Looks like it will be Dodgers vs Phillies. I like this matchup for the Dodgers.
phillies brewers brewers win tommarow on the back of cc sabathia
even if they do, they still need the mets to lose in order to win the WC. otherwise, it's a one-game playoff.
The Mets will lose. They did last year and will again. They are one of the most mentally weak teams I've seen in a while.
Rumor has it that Angel Guzman will start for Chicago tomorrow, followed by at least four innings of bullpen tryouts from guys like Weurz, Howry, etc. The last part is just an assumption on my part. Guzman's arm is currently being held together by really old Topps' bubblegum, and he hasn't started at the ML level for some time.
The Brewers should win, but a lot could happen. At this point, Sabathia is overdue for a really BAD outing. His record against the Cubs' is significantly worse than against any other NL opponent.
vs. CHC 4.61 ERA, 0-1 WL, 13.2 IP, 18 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 8 K, .310 OBA
PHILADELPHIA (Sept. 27) - One by one, players grabbed the microphone and told the screaming fans what they wanted to hear.
"We're not done yet," Chase Utley said.
The Fightin' Phils are going back to the playoffs. Just getting there won't be good enough this time.
Jimmy Rollins made a sliding stop with the bases loaded to start a game-ending double play, and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their second consecutive NL East le by holding off the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Saturday.
Rollins went to his knees to snare Ryan Zimmerman's sharp grounder toward the middle. He made an accurate flip to second base with his glove and rejoiced when Utley's relay throw ended it.
"Determination beats talent," Rollins said.
A sellout crowd of 45,177 rocked Citizens Bank Park, waved rally towels and watched the Phillies earn back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 1980-81.
Now they'd like to see them make the most of it.
A large banner held up in the left-field stands summed it perfectly: "World Series Or Bust."
The Phillies will open the best-of-five division series at home Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers.
Philadelphia was swept out of the first round by Colorado last season after a remarkable finish just to get in.
Trailing the Mets by seven games with 17 left, the Phillies took advantage of New York's historic collapse and clinched the division on the final day of the regular season.
"Last year, we came up short," Rollins said. "We got some making up to do."
They were excellent down the stretch again this season. The Phillies were 3 1/2 games behind New York after losing to Florida on Sept. 10. But they swept a four-game series against Milwaukee and won 10 of 11 to gain six games in the standings in 12 days.
Brad Lidge barely escaped the ninth, getting help from Rollins at shortstop to earn his 41st save in 41 tries. Players rushed the field after Rollins' sensational play and everyone piled on near second base, beginning the party.
Players doused each other with champagne and beer in the clubhouse and then took the celebration back onto the field to enjoy it with fans, who stuck around in a steady drizzle to share the moment.
Rollins danced, Pedro Feliz rode a bicycle around the warning track, Pat Burrell blew kisses and nearly all the regulars took turns addressing the crowd.
But the fans wouldn't go away until manager Charlie Manuel came out. They chanted his name and roared when the folksy skipper made his way up the dugout steps.
"Believe me, we're gonna go further than last year," Manuel said. "We want to win a World Series!"
A championship-starved city that's suffered through a 25-year le drought now rests all its hopes on the Phillies, who have one World Series le in the franchise's 126 years.
These passionate fans haven't celebrated a championship since the NBA's 76ers won it all in 1983. They've been frustrated by plenty of heartbreaking defeats and disappointing endings, but the die-hards showed up in record numbers to support the Phillies this year. The team set an attendance record and has 49 sellouts.
By the time the Phillies came to the plate in the first, Johan Santana already had pitched the Mets to a 2-0 victory over Florida. With no reason to watch the out-of-town scoreboard, the Phillies took care of their own business.
Jamie Moyer (16-7) allowed one run and six hits in six innings, matching Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for most wins by a pitcher 45 or older. Niekro, a knuckleballer, had 16 wins at 45 and 46 while pitching for the New York Yankees in 1984-85.
Moyer easily could've won 20 games with a little more run support. He had a stretch of 14 consecutive starts in which he allowed three runs or less, but only went 5-4 in that span.
Relying on his typical assortment of slow stuff and barely-80s fastball, Moyer kept the Nationals off-balance. The native son also earned the win in last year's clinching game against Washington. Moyer grew up in nearby Souderton and played hooky from school to attend the Phillies' victory parade on Broad Street in 1980. He'd like to be riding on the float this time.
"Hopefully, we can build off what we did last year and go deep," Moyer said.
Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless seventh and Ryan Madson allowed one run in the eighth, helped by an outstanding catch by Rollins.
With runners at second and third and no outs, Rollins ran a long way to make an over-the-shoulder catch on Lastings Milledge's sacrifice fly to shallow center that cut the Phillies' lead to 3-2.
Center fielder Shane Victorino was shaken up after Rollins ran into him, but stayed in the game. He singled and scored an insurance run on Feliz's RBI double in the eighth.
Anderson Hernandez blooped an RBI single to cut it to 4-3 in the ninth. Cristian Guzman followed with a single to load the bases with one out, but Rollins stopped the rally with a clutch play.
"It was beautiful," first baseman Ryan Howard said.
The Phillies are heading to the postseason for the 11th time in franchise history, though they haven't won a playoff game since losing the 1993 World Series to Toronto.
Not known for their situational hitting, the Phillies used a pair of sacrifice flies to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
Utley fisted a single over the second baseman's head to start the inning. After Howard dropped a single to left to put runners at the corners, Burrell's sacrifice fly gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Victorino followed with a single and Feliz walked to load the bases. Carlos Ruiz's sacrifice fly made it 2-0.
Hernandez cut the deficit in half with a two-out RBI double off right fielder Werth's glove in the fifth. Werth answered in the bottom half with an opposite-field homer to right.
Nationals starter John Lannan (9-15) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.
Notes: Moyer earned his 246th win, tying Joe McGinnity for 47th on the career list. ... Philadelphia was 22-11 in Moyer's 33 starts. ... Kyle Kendrick will start in place of Cole Hamels on Sunday. Hamels presumably will pitch the playoff opener
PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 1) - Cole Hamels was so dominant the Milwaukee Brewers were glad to see Brad Lidge come in. The switch to their perfect closer nearly cost the Philadelphia Phillies.
Behind their top two arms, the Phillies grabbed their first postseason victory in 15 years - barely.
Hamels pitched eight brilliant innings, Lidge escaped a ninth-inning jam and Philadelphia took advantage of Mike Cameron's miscue in center field for a 3-1 win over Milwaukee in their playoff opener Wednesday.
Chase Utley's two-run double slipped out of Cameron's glove in the third, helping the Phillies take a 3-0 lead. Lidge allowed a run in the ninth but struck out Corey Hart with runners at second and third to end it.
"I can't let him get a hit there," said Lidge, who was 41-for-41 in save chances this season. "I've always been a strikeout pitcher and that's what I wanted to do."
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Thursday, with ace CC Sabathia going to the mound for the wild-card Brewers on three days' rest for the fourth consecutive start. Brett Myers pitches for the Phillies.
It'll be tough for anyone to match Hamels' superb performance. The 24-year-old lefty retired the first 14 batters and allowed two hits, striking out nine.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel considered sending Hamels out to start the ninth, but decided to go with Lidge. The Brewers got the tying run to the plate, but Prince Fielder fanned for the second out. After J.J. Hardy walked to put two runners on, they advanced on a wild pitch. Then Hart struck out swinging to end it.
"Not too many times you can say you're happy to see Lidge, but we didn't hit the ball hard off Hamels all day," Brewers manager Dale Sveum said.
Hamels baffled the fastball-hitting Brewers with his dazzling changeup, helping the Phillies earn their first postseason win since the 1993 World Series against Toronto.
The NL East champions were swept out of the first round by the surging Colorado Rockies last year. Hamels lost the opener of that series, but didn't have any jitters this time around.
"I learned what it really takes in trying to kind of mellow out, not have that sort of excitement where you can't really control everything," he said.
Making his second start since returning from surgery for a torn knee ligament, Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo got rattled after his defense fell apart in the third.
The 22-year-old righty allowed three unearned runs and three hits in four innings, walking five. Gallardo became the second pitcher in major league history to start a postseason game without recording a win that year. He pitched in three games before he injured his right knee on May 1 and had a 1.88 ERA to go with four no-decisions.
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"Things like that are going to happen," Gallardo said about the defensive lapses. "There's no excuse for you to come in and let your guard down. You still have to go out there and make pitches and get out of situations like that."
Carlos Ruiz started Philadelphia's third inning with a single. Hamels then bunted hard to third baseman Bill Hall, who bobbled the ball, costing him a chance to get Ruiz at second. Second baseman Rickie Weeks dropped Hall's throw to first for an error.
Gallardo almost worked out of the jam, though. He retired Jimmy Rollins on a shallow fly and struck out Jayson Werth. But Utley ripped a liner through a swirling wind to center. Cameron took a poor route, raced back and reached up for a backhanded catch only to have the ball bounce out of his glove.
Both runners scored on Utley's double for a 2-0 lead. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Cameron usually makes that play look routine.
"If he doesn't make that catch, nobody can," Sveum said.
Gallardo intentionally walked Ryan Howard and then walked Pat Burrell to load the bases. Gallardo walked Shane Victorino to force in another run, before retiring Pedro Feliz on a fly to center.
Hamels, who didn't get much run support as he went 14-10 in the regular season, didn't need any more. The Phillies had just four hits.
Hart lined a single to right on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the fifth for Milwaukee's first hit. Hamels pitched out of his only jam in the sixth. Craig Counsell singled with one out and Cameron walked. But Hamels fanned Hall on a down-and-away changeup and got Ryan Braun to pop out.
A sellout crowd of 45,929 at Citizens Bank Park withstood a steady rain for most of the game, waved their "Fightin' Phils" rally towels and savored a rare playoff victory.
This championship-starved city hasn't celebrated a le since the NBA's 76ers won it all in 1983.
The Brewers, in the postseason for the first time in 26 years, now turn to Sabathia. The burly left-hander almost single-handedly carried Milwaukee into the playoffs, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA after he was acquired July 7 from Cleveland. But Sabathia is just 2-2 with a 7.17 ERA in four postseason starts.
"We hit enough to win the game," Manuel said. "Maybe tomorrow we'll get after big CC."
The Brewers haven't fared well in Philly this year. They were swept in a four-game series here three weeks ago. Manager Ned Yost was fired with 12 games remaining after that series and Sveum, previously the third-base coach, took over.
Milwaukee entered September with a 5 1/2-game lead in the wild-card standings, but didn't clinch a spot until the New York Mets lost to Florida on the final day of the season.
Notes: Philadelphia's previous postseason win was a 2-0 victory over Toronto on Curt Schilling's five-hitter Oct. 21, 1993. The Blue Jays clinched the series on Joe Carter's homer off Mitch Williams in Game 6. ... Milwaukee's last postseason victory was against St. Louis on Oct. 17, 1982, in Game 5 of the World Series. The Brewers lost the next two games. ... Williams threw out the first pitch. Of course, "Wild Thing" tossed it way over the catcher's head. ... Burrell was in the lineup a day after he left a workout with back discomfort. He went 0-for-2 with a walk.
Hamels had 11 starts this season in which he allowed three runs or less and didn't get a win.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-10-01 17:32:26
CC Sabathia got ROCKED today
^ good. the dodgers can lowball him in the offseason =D
Hes going to the yankees.
Its a forgone conclusion.
PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 2) - With one more loss to the Phillies, CC Sabathia and the Milwaukee Brewers will have all winter to rest.
Brett Myers rankled Sabathia with a pesky at-bat and dominated the rest of the Brewers from the mound, and Philadelphia beat Milwaukee 5-2 on Thursday night behind Shane Victorino's grand slam for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five NL playoff series.
"I don't think starting on three days' rest had anything to do with it," Sabathia said. "I just didn't make pitches when I needed to."
Myers allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings, pulling the Phillies within one win of the NL championship series. Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero worked the eighth, and Brad Lidge had a suspense-free ninth for a change.
Pitching on three days' rest for the fourth consecutive start, Sabathia had his worst outing since joining the Brewers in a trade with Cleveland on July 7.
The burly left-hander allowed five runs and six hits - all for extra bases - in 3 2/3 innings. He walked four, his second-highest total of the season.
"When you've got a guy like CC on the ropes you've got to take advantage," Victorino said.
Now, Sabathia might have to wait six months for his next start. And, that might be in a different uniform. The 28-year-old will be one of the most sought-after free agents at the end of the season.
The Phillies are closing in on their first trip to the NLCS in 15 years. Game 3 is Saturday night in Milwaukee, with 45-year-old Jamie Moyer (16-7) pitching for the NL East champions against Dave Bush (9-10).
Sabathia was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts for Milwaukee, almost single-handedly leading the wild-card Brewers to their first postseason berth since 1982.
But he struggled in the playoffs - again. He's lost his last three postseason starts, including two against Boston in last year's ALCS. Overall, Sabathia is 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in the playoffs.
"I just didn't finish at-bats, finish innings," Sabathia said.
Sabathia had all his pitches working in the first. Victorino doubled with one out and stole third, but Sabathia struck out Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to end the threat. Utley couldn't touch Sabathia's off-speed stuff and Howard had no chance against a 96 mph fastball.
Sabathia was uncharacteristically erratic in the second and the Phillies took advantage. Jayson Werth lined a one-out double to left-center and Pedro Feliz followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to tie it at 1.
After Carlos Ruiz grounded out, Myers kept the inning going by working a walk. Digging in, choking up and crouching, Myers drew cheers for fouling off a 1-2 pitch after wildly missing the first two pitches.
He fouled off two more during the at-bat and earned a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd that understood the importance of making Sabathia throw more pitches.
"I know I'm a terrible hitter," Myers said. "It was one of those freakish things where I was able to lay off his good pitches."
Sabathia then walked Jimmy Rollins on four pitches to load the bases. That brought up Victorino, who had a career-high 14 homers this season. Victorino fell behind 1-2 before driving a hanging cutter into the seats in left to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. The Flyin' Hawaiian raised his arm in the air as he circled the bases with his father watching in the stands.
"I started running, looked up and saw (Ryan) Braun stopped and thought, 'Did that really happen?"' Victorino said.
The sellout crowd of 46,208 - the largest in the five-year history of Citizens Bank Park - went wild, waving their "Fightin' Phils" rally towels and bringing Victorino out of the dugout for a curtain call.
Myers, who batted .059 (4-for-58) this season with four walks, made Sabathia throw 10 pitches his second time up. During the at-bat, a fan reached over the railing down the right-field line and caught a foul ball with his cap. The guy got a standing ovation. So did Myers after he flied out.
It was that good a night for the Phillies and their championship-starved fans, who haven't celebrated a le since the NBA's 76ers won it all in 1983.
The Brewers missed an opportunity to break it open in the first after Myers walked J.J. Hardy to force in a run with one out. But Myers escaped further trouble by getting Corey Hart to hit into a home-to-first double play on a bouncer to the mound.
"That was the turning point," Brewers manager Dale Sveum said.
Hardy doubled and scored on Craig Counsell's RBI groundout to cut it to 5-2 in the seventh.
Fielder was the tying run when he came up against Romero in the eighth, but he shattered his bat on a weak grounder to second base. Lidge tossed a perfect ninth for his second save in the series.
Lidge, 41-for-41 in save chances this season, allowed one run and had the tying run on second base in Game 1 before striking out Hart to secure a 3-1 win.
Notes: Ruiz started behind the plate for the Phillies instead of Chris Coste, who usually catches Myers. ... Sabathia allowed at least five earned runs in three of his first four starts with the Indians, but didn't do it again in his next 31 outings.
Sabathia's previous shortest stint with Milwaukee was 5 2/3 innings at Cincinnati on Sept. 20. ... The Phillies tied their postseason record with six doubles. They had six against Cincinnati in Game 3 of the 1976 NLCS.
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