Sep 23 2008
Bullpen blues doom Braves as Phils inch closer to East title
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
Phillies 6, Braves 2
Top of the Order: Jair Jurrjens’ strong start was wasted as the bullpen made a mess of the eighth inning, allowing the Phillies to move one step closer to the NL East title and beat the Braves for the 14th time in 16 tries this season.
The Good: Kelly Johnson drove in both of the Braves’ runs with his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth that tied the game at 2-2. KJ went 2-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. Brent Lillibridge went 2-for-3. Chipper Jones, who did not start with a sore shoulder, delivered a pinch-hit single in the ninth to move his major-league leading average to .364. Brian McCann came off the bench with a pinch-hit double in the ninth, a ball that on first brush looked like it might have been a homer but indeed was a double. Jurrjens allowed just five hits and two runs in seven sharp innings, throwing 63 of his 92 pitches for strikes. Will Ohman retired the only batter he faced, stranding two runners on base.
The Bad: Jeff Bennett came on for the eighth and totally turned things upside down: one hit, one walk, three runs, one errant throw on a pickoff play in one-third of an inning. Julian Tavarez played a hand in the downward spiral, too: two hits, one run, two inherited runners allowed to score in one-third of an inning. Can’t pitch like that against good teams. Save for Kelly and the big boys coming off the bench in the ninth, the Bravos could do very little against Philly, leaving nine runners on base.
View from the Sports Garage: Well, I’ve been saying for the past month that I liked the Phillies to win the NL East, especially given the Mets’ bullpen troubles now that Billy Wagner is done. If you’ve been watching the Braves all season – as I have, for some reason – you’ve experienced first-hand why Philadelphia is on the cusp of winning the division and, to a certain extent, why the Braves are mired in their worst season since 1990. The Phillies are an opportunistic bunch that takes advantage of opposing team’s mistakes, and we all know the Braves have made their share of flubs against Philly this season. Jurrjens deserved far better than a no-decision. After limiting the damage in the first two innings, JJJ looked really sharp, a very encouraging sign as we push toward the finish line. KJ is smoking the ball, and Chipper looks more and more like a lock for the batting title with each passing day – his lead over Albert Pujols is 16 points this morning. Still, though, it wasn’t enough against a Philly team poised to storm into the postseason. The loss drops the Braves a season-worst 20 games under .500. One can’t help but think it’ll be a big stretch for the Braves not to drop the next two.
On deck
Braves at Phillies
7:05 p.m. today, Citizens Bank Park
The Skinny: If you’re Jo-Jo Reyes (3-11, 5.74 ERA), tonight may be the most important start of your career. It’s your last chance to turn around the negative feeling you’ve left all over the organization for the past three months. Reyes has done nothing since returning from the minors last month. Friday against the Mets, Jo-Jo was a goner after 3 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs. For the Phillies, lefty ace Cole Hamels (14-9, 3.10 ERA) is pitching like a stud down the stretch, sporting a 2.73 ERA in his past 10 starts. Hamels got the win against the Braves Thursday at Turner Field – a game I was at – and he looked sharp, allowing six hits and two runs in six strong innings.
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