The good times, for the time being, have returned to the corner of Pattison Avenue and Citizens Bank Way. The hot dogs are hotter. The pretzels are fresher. The beer is colder. A sense of excitement has made a return appearance at the ballpark.
As Eury De La Rosa’s 3-2 slider sailed inside to Chase Utley, Cody Asche steamed home with the winning run, sealing a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. A celebration erupted for the third straight night – in the bottom of the ninth inning, no less. A swarm of burgundy, pinstriped jerseys arrived near first base to mob the hero. It was the Phillies’ third consecutive walk-off win and fourth since Sunday. The third consecutive walk-off was the first such streak since July 2010.
Darin Ruf opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with a soaring, majestic home run deep into the left-centerfield bleachers. It was Ruf’s 10th home run of the season and eighth in August. The eight August homers are two shy of tying the Phillies’ rookie record for most home runs in a month by a rookie. Ryan Howard launched 10 in August 2005.
Cole Hamels was on cruise control, it seemed, until trouble appeared on the horizon in the form of an early evening sky. Hamels hit Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Eaton with a pitch leading off the top of the fourth inning. MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt, followed with what seemed to be a harmless pop fly to left field. As soon as the ball was sent on its trajectory, left fielder Domonic Brown extended his arms. He was not showing off his wing span. He could not locate the ball – the most helpless feeling on a baseball field. Shortstop John McDonald raced out to left field, hand pointing straight up, trying to help Brown. To no avail. The ball landed near the foul line, and all of a sudden, Arizona has runners on second and third with no outs. Phillie-killer, Martin Prado followed with what should have been a single. But, Brown took a bad angle toward the liner, playing it into a double. In the blink of an eye, the Phillies went from a one-run lead to a one-run deficit. Rookie third baseman Matt Davidson added a run-scoring single with one out before Hamels could escape the inning.
The Phillies of two weeks ago, just may have rolled over, conceding defeat. This is different, however. The tying rally came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kevin Frandsen lined a one-out single off of left-handed starter Wade Miley. Utley, the human pincushion, was hit by pitch. That was followed by a Brown single. Bases-loaded with one out. Two weeks ago, all three runners may have died on the vine. Not this time. Carlos Ruiz followed with a ringing, two-run double down the left-field line. Game tied. Just when it looked like the Phillies had Miley down on the canvas, he gets up and strikes out Ruf and McDonald to end the inning. A chance to blow the game wide open had gone by the wayside.
High hopes returned when Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson decided to call on portly, right-hander Heath Bell to come in from the bullpen with his ten-gallon drum of gasoline and a box of matches. Batting practice was about to commence.
Rookie Cody Asche led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single to right. Jimmy Rollins, who was 0 for 12 in his career off of Bell coming into the game, followed with a single to right – just eluding the glove of second baseman Aaron Hill. Michael Young was walked intentionally to load the bases. A force had been set up at every base. Frandsen was poised to be the walk-off hero on this night. It wasn’t to be. Bell struck him out. Gibson decided to call on side-winder De La Rosa to pitch to Utley. It was a typical Utley at-bat – something everybody has grown accustomed to. He worked the count full before that final slider decided not to break over home plate. Catcher Tuffy Gosewisch held the glove, trying to buy the strike three call. No deal. Game over! Time to celebrate.
What has transpired with the Phillies since Sunday is heartening. Not only is the team 5-1 during this stretch, but it is the way they are coming back to win games. Never down-and-out, it seems. Utley and Rollins have seen this movie before. Asche and Ruf and Brown are receiving on-the-job training. Training that will suit them well as they set off on their big league journey.
Good times have returned. Hopefully, they will stay for awhile.
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