The Phillies finished off what is usually a grueling West Coast road trip with a sweep of the Dodgers. That made it a fabulous 9-1 trip. Way to go!
Before the series in Los Angeles started on Monday, Dodger manager Don Mattingly was quoted as saying, "We get Halladay, then we get Lee, then we get the ace," an amusing nod to the season that rookie Vance Worley is having. So what happened in the series?
Monday night it felt like tattered pitching night. Halladay went 6.1 innings, giving up just one run but scattering nine hits. The Phillies, mirabile dictu, actually got to Hiroki Kuroda in a regular season game, touching him for four runs. Victorino had two doubles and a homer, earning him some more West Coast boos. The final score: 5-3, Phillies. Halladay got his 15th.
Tuesday was again a dominant night for Cliff Lee, who pitched eight scoreless innings of shutout ball. Madson gave up a run in the ninth in the 2-1 Phillie victory.
Wednesday afternoon was not kind to the 'ace', who fell behind 5-0 in the first, then gave up another run before being lifted in the fifth. Down six on get-away day, the Phillies nonetheless battled back, with the help of a Hunter Pence two-run homer that got them going. In the sixth, Utley tied it 7-7 with a two-run single, then Howard untied it with a two-run homer. Ibanez made a fabulous, game-saving catch in the ninth and the Phillies finished off the Dodgers 9-8. Wow.
As for the Dodgers, tattered just about sums them up this rocky season.
