Cherries in bloom yesterday at the First Base entrance to the ballpark.It was a totally improbable win after a dismal start to the game, to the season. Trailing 10-3 in the 7th, the Phillies sent 13 to the plate and scored eight runs on five walks, four hits--all singles--and one hit by pitch. Four Braves relievers dished out the slop. Most of their pitches were not even close to the strike zone. But credit Phillies hitters for showing remarkable restraint.
Victorino led off the inning with a ground-out. By that time maybe half of the sell-out crowd had left the stands. A contingent of college students in the section next to ours started up a chant: Here we go, Phillies, here we go. As the Phillies loaded the bases again and again and again, the chant got stronger. Pretty soon everyone in the park was on their feet, roaring with each misplaced pitch, each run scored. The Braves relievers just could not stop themselves.
By the end of the inning, the Phillies were up 11-10. Ryan Madson came in for the 8th; he and Ryan Howard combined on a spectacular 3-1 putout at first. The Phillies then added another run. Brad Lidge saved the game but first gave up a solo homerun to Matt Diaz. Final score: 12-11. The Phillies win! I later learned that Diaz was 1 for 2 off of Lidge; that one hit was a homer. Go figure.
Raul Ibanez was the star of the game, with three RBI, including a two-run homer that briefly tied the game in the second. He also scored the insurance run in the eighth.
Joe Blanton, who had a great spring, could not get out of his own way yesterday. Thanks to the delirious comeback, though, he continues to be unbeaten in a Phillies uniform. All of the starters have pretty much stunk it up so far. The team now flies out to Colorado, where Cole Hamels will make his first start of the season. Given what has gone on with him this spring, it's a big one.
