Phillies vs. Cardinals

Game 1: The return of Joe Blanton. It was going so well for 6 2/3 innings. He had given up only one run up to that point. The Phils tied it up at 1 on a sac fly from Juan Castro. In the 7th inning, after allowing the Cardinals to score on a solo homerun, Charlie pulled him out of the game. I was following the game on my sister's phone (had to work, yuck!) and honestly felt Charlie should have given him one more batter but instead put in Nelson Figueroa to get out of a 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. After a wild pitch and an intentional walk, he gave up a bases-clearing double, followed up by an RBI single. It sort of put the game out of reach. Jayson Werth hit a solo HR in the bottom of the 7th and Chase Utley hit a HR in the bottom of the 9th but it was not enough as the Phils dropped the first game of this 4-game series. There was also a fan that ran on the field and got tased-more on this later. Cardinals 6-3

Game 2: Cole Hamels got the start and was sensational. He went 8 innings without giving up a run. He held a 1-run lead due to an Ibanez triple (!) and a Chooch sac fly. Wainwright started the game for the Cardinals so the Phils' offense could only muster that one run, although they did have a few opportunities. Well to begin the top of the 9th, another fucking douchebag fan ran onto the field. After all was settled, Cole gave up back-to-back doubles and was pulled from the game in favor of Brad Lidge. Whether or not Hamels was thrown off by the fan is pointless. He's a professional and should be focused. He had thrown over a 110 pitches so that was likely the reason. Well Brad Lidge was also fabulous. The first batter grounded out to Howard and moved the runner over to third. The second batter was walked intentionally (to either set up a dp or have Lidge face a more inexperienced, right-handed batter) and he proceeded to strike him out on 3 pitches. The four batter of the inning flied out to center to preserve the tie. As the Phils went scoreless in the bottom of the 9th, Contreras pitched a scoreless 10th (2 Ks and 1 hit). Ruiz led of the 10th and smoked the first ball just foul. He got another opportunity 3 pitches later as he homered to left field. It was a great win for the Phillies and one with plenty of positives. Cole Hamels gave a strong performance (we need more of this, consistency please!), they got a scoreless inning out of Brad Lidge in a tough situation, and Jose Contreras has been one of the few bright spots out of the bullpen so far this year. Lastly, Chooch to the All-star game? That needs to happen. Phils 2-1

Game 3: With Kyle Kendrick starting, it's doesn't exactly inspire confidence. He was actually good! His walk to strike ratio wasn't great but he pitched out of all the little trouble he got himself into. He went 7 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Placido Polanco led the way with a 2-run homerun off of Brad Penny, and in the following inning Shane hit a solo homerun. The scoring ended with a pinch-hit RBI double off the bat of Greg Dobbs. Dannys Baez and Jose Contreras pitched hitless, scoreless innings to finish the game. It was such a clean, solid win. It's nice to see them come back after last night's thriller and continue playing winning baseball. I guess Kyle Kendrick has earned himself another start. Also, KK's career ERA against the Cardinals dropped to 1.67 because of his 7-hit shutout. It's the lowest ERA he has against any team. Phils 4-0

I love you Charlie. Please never take your hands out of your pants.

Game 4: Before the game, the Phils got awful news that Whiz kid legend, Robin Roberts died in his sleep last night. The Phillies announced they would hang his jersey in the dugout for all home and away games. They'll also wear a #36 patch. Reading more about him, he pitched 305 complete games! That is so insane and my mind is officially blown. Good baseball player, and by all accounts, an even better person.

Back to baseball. The Phillies looking for a series win, who better to be on the mound then Roy Halladay. Jayson Werth started the scoring with a 3-run shot in the first. In the top of the second, the leadoff hitter flied out to Werth but the wind and sun caused it to bounce off his glove. It was originally scored a triple (bullshit) and later it was rightfully changed to an error. It's important because it lowered Roy's ERA to 1.45. Won't bother describing all the offense other than to say they scored early and often, which was more than plenty for Halladay; Raul also hit his second homer of the season, which was smoked. He didn't look like he had his best stuff but pitched out of trouble and seemed like he was squeezed a little bit by the homeplate umpire. His final line was 7IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB (unacceptable-kidding!), and 9 ks. It only took 119 pitches. It's saying something when everyone's talking about Roy Halladay not having his best stuff and he still goes 7 innings while allowing only one earned run. He is perfection. I'm glad we have him. He is a perfect fit for this team. Phils 7-2

Albert Pujols, stop standing like that. It makes me uncomfortable.

Golden Girls quote of the day:
Mr. Allen: "Goodbye Mrs. Petrillo. Sorry you didn't have the opportunity to experience our museum. I'd love for you to see my most prized aquisition, a magnificent pair of Gauguins."
Sophia: "What are you a pervert?! I was married for 45 years and never even saw my husband's Gauguins!"