Friday, May 13, 2011
Posted: 10:40 p.m.Updated: May 14, 12:05 a.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
ATLANTABrian McCann thought they had Shane Victorino struck out. So the Braves catcher got up from his crouch and jogged toward the dugout with the ball.
Problem was, home-plate ump David Rackley called the pitch from lefty reliever Eric OFlaherty ball one. Instead of an inning-ending strikeout, Victorino had life and watched one more pitch go by out of the strike zone before lacing a single up the middle to send home Jimmy Rollins with the tying run.
An inning later, Ryan Howard singled, moved up to second on an error and circled home with the go-ahead run on a single by Raul Ibanez in the Phillies 5-4 victory over the Braves at Turner Field on Friday night.
Replays showed that McCann had a point about thinking Victorino had been rung up. Moreover, had the pitch been called strike three, things could have ended badly for the Phillies in the opener of the three-game weekend series in Atlanta.
MLB
Instead, Victorinos hit opened the door for the game-winner in the eighth.
All that matters is what the umpire says, Victorino said with a wry smile of someone who got away with something. If he would have rung me up, I wasnt going to argue.
Interestingly, Braves manager Freddi Gonzalez removed right-handed reliever Cory Gearin in favor of the lefty OFlaherty for Victorinos turn. The Braves manager should have known that Victorino entered Fridays game batting .382 as a right-handed hitter and just .252 as a lefty.
However, Victorino had been 0 for 9 in his career against OFlaherty though none of those nine outs were strikeouts. Against OFlaherty, Victorino puts the ball in play. He also has a 15-game hitting streak going, too.
They can do whatever they want, manager Charlie Manuel said. I dont want to manage anybody elses game. I have enough trouble managing mine.
There certainly was a dichotomy of styles on display. For instance, Gonzalez chose to sacrifice bunt four times in the game while Manuel, with Howard on second and no outs in the eighth inning, decided to have his guys swing away. Manuel said he did that because the team was on the road, but even if they were at home he says he doesnt like to bunt all that much.
Ibanez, he says, was going to come through.
Raul hangs in good on lefties. Hes a survivor. He hangs in there, the manager said.
It wasnt as easy as simply waiting for the clutch hit for the Phillies, though. Even with Howards three-run blast to straightaway center in the first inning, the Phillies had to fight for their runs.
Better yet, they had to keep the Braves from getting theirs.
Starter Cole Hamels had to face the Braves for the second straight start to the same mixed results. In six innings he allowed four runs on eight hits with a walk and seven strikeouts, and just like last Sunday night he was done in by one hitter. Last week it was Freddie Freeman. On Friday night it was a two-run double to a relief pitcher named Cristhian Martinez for his first big league hit.
Huh?
I hear its Friday the 13th so maybe I shouldnt be pitching on those days, Hamels said. But if you make bad pitches guys are going to hit those and to the pitcher I just made a bad pitch. It was up in the zone. More than likely guys wouldnt swing at it, but it was his first hit. He doesnt get too many at-bats so he wants to swing. If I was in his position I would have done the same thing.
In the end, Hamels is pleased with the result even though he wasnt pleased with the repertoire of pitches he put on display.
I have to be able to throw four pitches. I cant have them narrowing down because theyve seen me. I have to make it more of a guessing game.
Either way, at 25-12, the Phillies lead the NL East by three games over the Marlins.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com