Phils find another way to win
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by Bberg11
From my blog, The Lazy Athlete
Whatever you think of the Phillies this year, there is one thing no one can deny: this team has never given up trying to find new ways to win. Tuesday night, they won for only the second time all year when scoring three or fewer runs. And a large contributer to that victory was new guy, Russell Branyan. Branyan came on to pinch-hit in the top of the eighth inning - his first at bat as a Phillie - and proceeded to drive a 1-0 pitch well over the wall in right field. The homer gave the Phils a 3-2 lead which they did not relinquish.
In a playoff race, it's critical to beat the teams you're supposed; like the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates (their current and next opponents). But for whatever reason, the Phillies have struggled against teams with worse records this season, particulary the Nationals. So it becomes even more critical to pull out wins that you probably shouldn't have had any right winning. Again, look at the series opener against the Nats. Shawn Hill, coming off the disabled list and making his first start since May 11, held the Phillies to just one hit and no runs over 6 innings of dominating ball. Luckily for the Phillies, Hill was on an 80 pitch count. He was pulled, and the Phillies eventually pulled out the game with Branyan's blast. Kyle Lochse was almost as good, pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings before giving up 2 runs in the bottoms of the seventh. But the Phillies bullpen (yes, that bullpen) closed the door the rest of the way; highlighted by Brett Meyers striking out the side in the final frame for the save after the Phils took the lead.
The win was important for a number of reasons: First, the Mets and Padres, whom they are chasing in the division and wild card races respectively, both won. As mentioned before, you have to beat the teams you're supposed to beat. But also, teams in a pennant race can not afford to let quality pitching performances go to waste. Especially when those performances have been few and far between for the Phils this season. Branyan may never repeat his first at bat with the Phillies, but he'll take it. And the Phillies will too.
