Credit Jimmy Rollins with manufacturing the go-ahead run in the 7th. Just out of a 99-minute rain delay on what was another sticky, sticky day in eastern Pennsylvania, Wilson Valdez led off with a pinch-hit double. Rollins singled him in to tie the game at 3-3 and took second on a fielding error by Carlos Gonzalez. Rollins then stole third and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by reliever Rafael Betancourt, who appeared to be more concerned with Ryan Howard at first than Rollins at third. It was a sweet sequence and gave hope that the Phillies are coming out of their funk.
Till his double yesterday, Valdez had not hit in 15 at-bats and not had an extra-base hit in weeks. All three pinch-hitters yesterday (Valdez, Ibanez, and Gload) doubled. Both starting pitchers--Jeff Francis for the Rox and J.A. Happ, in his first return from injury,--had command issues but both were OK. Situational hitting was a black hole for both teams. Brad Lidge started the 9th inning with a quick out, then went into slow motion, loading the bases at what seemed an unbelievably, for such a hot day, glacial rate. In the end he struck out the side in the 4-3 win. Hard to watch? For sure. Yet Lidge maintained a calm on the mound no matter the incipient chaos he was courting.
