It was an exhausting win, with men littering the bases all night--the Nationals alone left 12--, but in the end Roy Halladay, Ryan Madson, and Brad Lidge combined for a 1-0 shutout. The only run that scored--and there were plenty of chances--was in the 3rd, when Jason Marquis walked Chase Utley and Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez doubled Utley home. A highlight of the night was seeing Utley back again in person. Another was the super 7-4 doubleplay he and Ibanez pulled on Ian Desmond. If the Marlins should learn how to field, the Nationals should learn how to run the bases. Or maybe it was just the rookie Ian Desmond who was doing weird stuff out there. In any case, I tottered out of the ballpark. It was, as I said, an exhausting game.
Sad news from yesterday: Tyson Gillies, the outfield prospect in the Cliff Lee deal, was arrested in Florida on charges of cocaine possession for an incident that occurred in June. Gillies, who has been injured for most of the year, appears in a cute ad for the Reading Phillies, but methinks we have seen the last of that one. What a shame if this guy, who is legally deaf and must have worked hard to get to where he is, has thrown it all away. A highly-touted piece in a highly-controversial trade, Gillies got off to a slow start with Reading, then soon got injured. If he had not got injured, he would have played the year in Double-A and this strange incident might never have happened.
