Hot Homestand

This Phillies team is scary good and is beginning to resemble the World Series team of 2008. In the recent homestand the Phils went 9-2 as the bats finally came to life. The Phils combined strong starting pitching with explosive offensive performances to catapult themselves to a 44-26 record and 5.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Most recently the Phils 4 game swept the Florida Marlins to extend their winning streak to 7 and cap off an extremely successful homestand. Let's take an in depth look as to how the Phils went about sweeping the Fish out of town.

In the series opener on Tuesday Cole Hamels improved to 9-2 on the season as he pitched 7 strong innings only surrendering 1 earned run. The Phils provided a ton of run support for Hamels as they roughed up Marlins starter Chris Volstad for 8 earned runs. It was a homerun party as Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Domonic Brown all homered off Volstad. Brown even added another homer off of Edward Mujica in the 7th. It was a very impressive outing from Hamels and the offense, and a great way to open the 4 game set.

Wednesday was a day night double header and it would be a great opportunity for the Phils to put more distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East. In the day game Kyle Kendrick got the start against Elih Villanueva. At first it looked like it was going to be one of those games where Kendrick would absolutely self destruct. Kendrick gave up a solo homerun to Logan Morrison in the first and it looked like the beginning of a very long afternoon. But after the first Kendrick settled down and through 6 consecutive scoreless innings. He had great command and did a good job of keeping everything in front of him. The Phils gave Kyle a ton of breathing room as they tacked on a run in the first and then another in the second followed by a 6 run explosion in the third. The two key hits of the third inning were Wilson Valdez's bases clearing triple and Jimmy Rollins' 3 run homer. The Phils would go on to win by another lopsided final of 8-1.

In the night game Roy Halladay took the mound in search of his 10th win of the season. Unfortunately Halladay got into trouble in the first inning and surrendered 2 quick runs. He then proceeded to give up 2 more runs in the 4th and the Phils quickly found themselves in a 4-1 hole. The Phils tacked on a run in the 5th but still trailed 4-2 going into the 9th inning.

In the 9th Carlos Ruiz and Ross Gload hit back to back singles to put runners on first and second with 1 out for J-Roll. Michael Martinez came into the game to pinch run for Ross Gload so a solid double would easily tie the game. Rollins smoked a hot shot up the middle that careened off the shin of Marlins pitcher Leo Nunez and rolled directly over to first baseman Gaby Sanchez who stepped on first for the second out of the inning. The unlucky bounce did however advance the runners to put men on second and third for Shane Victorino. Victorino then ripped a 2-1 pitch just past the second baseman to score Ruiz and Martinez and tie the game at 4. After Chase Utley flew out to end the inning the game headed to extras.

In extras Madson pitched a scoreless top of the 10th to give the Phils a chance to win. The bottom of the inning started with a bang. Marlins pitcher Michael Dunn drilled Ryan Howard in the back and the Phils had a leadoff baserunner aboard. But after Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez both got out, the once promising inning didn't look too bright. Dom Brown was up next and he had an incredible at bat in which he forced a walk to put runners on first and second for Carlos Ruiz. Mr. Cluth, Chooch whatever you want to call him came through in a big way and singled to score Ryan Howard and give the Phils an exciting 5-4 walkoff victory. Chooch always seems to come through in the clutch and he continued that streak last night.

The Phils rode the momentum of the walkoff victory into today's series finale. Cliff Lee came out and absolutely dominated the Fish as he pitched a 2 hit complete game shutout. Cliff had great command and was putting the ball exactly where he wanted to. He also had his curveball working and even stated after the game that his curveball is a big reason he has been so successful in his last few starts. Lee also opened up the scoring as he nailed a double to the wall in the 4th to score Michael Martinez. For insurance Ryan Howard hit an opposite field solo homerun in the 5th and Jimmy Rollins continued his hot hitting by doubling in the 6th to score Domonic Brown. The Phils went on to win 3-0 as Lee improved to 7-5 on the year and the Phils capped off their homestand with a 7 game winning streak.

Overall the Phils have consistently played great baseball all year but during this recent homestand they showed everyone just how dangerous they can be. When the offense and pitching are both clicking at the same time nobody in either league stands a chance. The Phils are playing great baseball right now and I expect them to get even hotter as the year progresses. Cliff Lee is starting to settle in, Howard looks phenomenal, Rollins is finding his swing, and Utley is almost 100%. The Phils will look to carry the momentum of this homestand with them as they embark on a 6 game roadtrip in which they will face the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals. Stay updated to the blog for a complete Phillies Mariners preview.