Late Fielding Blunders Cost Phillies A Win
CITIZENS BANK PARK — Apocalyptic storm in the third inning? Check.
Another game with little offense from the Phillies? Check.
A game that nearly included Wilson Valdez on the mound, again? You get the idea.
The Phillies lost to the Cubs 4-3 in a surreal 11-inning game that saw all seven members of the Philadelphia bullpen pitch.
The Cubs scored the winning run on a throwing error in the top of the 11th by Placido Polanco that Ryan Howard was unable to collect for an out.
“Not only did we not hit,” manager Charlie Manuel said, “but we got sloppy.”
Ryan Madson’s bid to match Brad Lidge’s perfect 2008 season ended on Thursday night as he surrendered a game-tying solo shot in the ninth inning and recorded his first blown save of the season. He allowed what looked to be the go-ahead run on a Tyler Colvin home run to right that was reviewed, on Manuel’s request, and turned into a ground rule double due to fan interference. Colvin was mired in an 0-for-34 slump before hitting the double in the ninth, and also scored the deciding run in extra-innings.
The Phillies were 32-0 when leading after the eighth inning this season before Madson surrendered the tying run.
The weather didn’t care whether there was baseball to be played on Thursday night, as hot and humid turned to into a gusty downpour that caused an hour-plus pause in the game.
Just before the harsh storm hit the ballpark and caused a delay in the third inning, Jimmy Rollins’ power showed up just in time. In his first start since last weekend in Pittsburgh, an absence caused by a bruised knee, Rollins bashed a three-run homer to right field in the second inning off Chicago’s Randy Wells.
Due to the delay, Wells and Kyle Kendrick had their outings cut short, and the game turned into a battle of the bullpens.
“I thought I could have for sure,” said Kendrick to reporters when asked if he could have resumed pitching after the delay. “But it’s not my decision.”
With Manuel down to his last pen arm in David Herndon, the reliever batted with the bases loaded in the 10th inning and went down swinging on a curveball from Sean Marshall, who collected the win, to end the inning. Manuel said after the game that he did not talk with Wilson Valdez about potentially pitching again if he were to be used in place of Herndon at the plate.
Wells went two and one-thirds innings and allowed three earned runs on Rollins’ homer. Kendrick was humming along in three innings of abbreviated work, allowing two hits and striking out two, with 31 of his 44 pitches going for strikes.
The Phillies left 12 men on base and went hitless from the fourth inning into the 10th. Carlos Ruiz led off the 11th with a single, but the Phils couldn’t cash in.
Roy Halladay (8-3) will take to the mound on Friday night while Carlos Zambrano (5-2) gets the nod for Chicago.
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