helped the Phillies build a 6-1 lead. There was nothing the Reds could do after that. As a Phillies fan, the team got just what they needed in this series.
Vance Worley(notes) allowed four runs but did earn the win. His record stands at an impressive 10-1 on the season and gives the Phillies another pitcher with double digit wins. His ERA is still below 3.00 and he continues to show good command. Worley was cruising until the seventh inning when the Reds finally got some offense going for the first time this series. They scored three that inning after scoring three total runs in the previous 33 innings. I'm willing to let that slide given how the Phillies played in the four games.
The Reds aren't as good as last year, but they aren't a joke. They have some solid hitters and the Phillies simply shut them down. Meanwhile, the Phillies offense seems to have found a spark. Ryan Howard hit his 30 th home run and is on his way to another great September. Shane Victorino(notes) had two hits and is hitting .307 right now. The Phillies had 12 hits as a team. Raul Ibanez(notes) was the only one to start the game and not get a hit. Best of all, the Phillies were able to rest Carlos Ruiz(notes) and Placido Polanco(notes). Ruiz did come in to pinch hit late in the game but he still got a nice break. I expect the Phillies will rest players like Howard and Chase Utley(notes) in a game in the next series.
It's tough to complain about starting a road trip off with a four game sweep. The Phillies look as good as they did when they tore through the west coast on an earlier road tip. They are now 41 games over .500 and should shatter the franchise win record. More importantly, they are keeping the foot on the gas as they roll toward the playoffs.
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment