Cole Hamels was erratic to start but gutted it out in what felt like a nervous 4-3 win last night in Atlanta. Hamels went six, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. The Phillies again jumped out early (Chase, Jayson, Ryan) with a 2-run first, but the Braves got a run in the 1st, then the 2nd to tie it. The hugely slumping Pat Burrell broke out in the 6th with a 2-run homer. The Braves got an unearned run off Ryan Madson, who has been sterling of late, in the 7th, but J.C. Romero handled the 8th and Brad Lidge went 1-2-3 in the 9th, getting Chipper Jones to strike out swinging to end the game. With that, the Phillies swept the Braves this season at home, taking 9 out of 9. The last time that happened the Braves were the Boston Doves, swept in 11 at home by the Chicago Cubs. Oh, these weird baseball stats. As Bobby Cox said when asked about it, "Does it matter?"
Burrell's homer was the 250th of his career. Congrats!
Tonight it's the Fish in Miami. The Marlins have won 8 straight, the Phils 7. The odds favor the Fish, who always tie the Phils in knots. Anyone else notice how the surging Marlins resemble the '07 Phillies? They've got 3 with the Phillies, 3 with the Mets. The stage is set.
