My thoughts on the Phillies season.

Three eighth inning home runs do in Cliff Lee as the Phils drop one to the Blue Jays, 7-4.

Three home runs in the bottom of the eight inning ruins Cliff Lee’s day as the Phils lose to the Blue Jays, 7-4.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorin0, who had earlier hit a ground-rule double, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as, with two men on, Dom Brown got on base with a single, sending Francisco on to second base, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI ground-rule double, scoring Francisco, while sending Brown, who had just singled, on to third. Two batters later, with men still on second and third, and now with two men out, the Phils took a 4-0 lead as Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, scoring both Brown and Ruiz. It would then go down hill for the Phils. The Blue Jays got on the scoreboard in the third, ending Phils’ starter Cliff Lee’s scoreless innings streak at 34 innings as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, John McDonald hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Rajai Davis, who had earlier tripled, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-1. The Blue Jays then made it a 4-2 Phils’ lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Aaron Hill hits an RBI single, knocking in Davis, who had earlier singled, then proceeded to steal first second, and then third base. The Blue Jays then cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-3 in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Juan Rivera hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Jose Bautista, who had earlier singled, went to third on Adam Lind’s pop fly single, that was then bobbled by Francisco for a fielding error, allowing Lind to reach second base, as Victorino’s feet got caught in the outfield turf as he was deciding whether to throw either to home or to second base, as Lind was almost to third in a base running blunder that was avoided because of what had happened to Victorino when he finally decided to throw the ball and fell down as he was getting ready to throw it. The Phils then tried to add to their lead in the eighth as, with one man out, Victorino got on base as he hits a ground-rule double, his second of the ballgame. But, with pinch hitter Raul Ibanez batting, he would get picked off heading for third, before being tagged out at second base, 1-6-5-4, for the inning’s second out. That would be costly as Ibanez would then hit a double that would’d easily scored Victorino. The Blue Jays would then pound on Lee in their half of the eighth. Eric Thames would lead-off the inning with a solo home run, his third home run of the season, tying the game up at four-all. The Blue Jays would then take the lead as Bautista followed with a solo home run of his own, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, giving the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead. Three batters later, with a runner on base, and with one man out, the Blue Jays took a 7-4 lead as Eric Encarnacion hits a two-run bomb, his sixth home run of the year, knocking in Lind, who had earlier singled. That would end up being the final score as Octavio Dotel picked up the win by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.92) took the lost as he pitched seven and a third innings, giving up seven runs, six of which were earned, on ten hits, as he struck out nine. Michael Stutes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Jo-Jo Reyes received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks. Marc Rzepczynski pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit. Octavio Dotel (2-1, 3.86) got the win as he pitched an inning and two-thirds, giving up a hit.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Shane Victorino (Doubles) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, Double, RBI) both leading the team with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single, 2 RBIs), Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Single), Ben Francisco (Single, RBI), Dom Brown (Single) and pinch hitter Raul Ibanez (Double), had the other six Phils’ hits.

The Phils (53-32, 1st), after ending interleague play with a successful 9-6 record, will start a three-game series with the Marlins (38-46, 5th), with an early night game tonight. The game will be played at Sun Life Stadium, and will start at 6:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (3-1, 2.57), who is coming off a stunning win over the Red Sox on June 29, as he gave up a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 2-1 win. He will be going for his fourth win of the year, while trying to give the Phils a chance against the Marlins. The Marlins will try to counter with Ricky Nolasco (5-4, 4.08), who is coming off a win against the Athletics on June 29 as he threw a complete game shutout, giving up just five hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Marlins’ 3-0 win. He will be trying to keep the Marlins from falling any further behind the Phils. The Phils will be out to make sure that the Marlins stay at the bottom of the NL East, while keeping the Braves from getting any closer before the weekend series and the All-Star break.

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