We turned the tables on this fanfoto guy at one of the Phillies-A's game last week. It was a treat to see the Phillies' batting practice, though the bats were pretty much dead during games.It smelled like rain last evening and I passed on the IronPigs game. Sure enough thunderstorms ended up suspending the game---and making the radio here crackle. Between static outbursts, I listened to the great game Cole Hamels was throwing down in Atlanta, against the Braves' outstanding rookie Jair Jurrjens. On a night when the back of the bullpen was out of gas, Hamels came up--what else?--aces. Jurrjens lost his hitless streak in the 1st, off a Chase Utley solo homer. Even over the radio, the sharp crack of his bat instantly conjured up Utley's short, compact swing. Hamels went 8.2 innings, giving up one run in the 9th. Tom Gordon came in for the save, which he got with one pitch. Final: 4-1. Another Phillies' sweep in Atlanta, and the first series win since the Phillies last swept there earlier in June.
Howard and Feliz also had solo homers. Good sign: Howard's was again to the opposite field. The night before Howard hit his 150th HR, making him the fastest to reach that mark. Pat Burrell, meanwhile, became the 2nd Phillie to hit 20 or more homers eight years in a row.
