Phillies Clip Cardinals' Wings in Game 1
Game 1 of the Phillies - Cardinals NLDS looked like a party before the game began:
Then after scoring 3 runs off Phillies ace Roy Halladay in the first inning, the Cardinals were given false hopes of possibly winning the game. After all, Halladay does not usually implode in this fashion, so those 3 runs looked like a killer blow.
The fans were very quiet after that, especially when the Phillies offense got themselves out, making Kyle Lohse toss only 6 pitches in each of the first two innings. The mood was so depressing, it felt like a funeral.
But in the bottom of the 4th, the Phillies offense showed signs of life, with a little help from a Cards error. Chase Utley doubled, Ryan Howard walked and then Shane Victorino hit what should have been an easy pop-up. But David Freese dropped the ball, giving Victorino a second chance. He took advantage with an RBI-single for the Phillies first run of the game.
By the 6th inning, the Phillies had finally figured out Lohse. After Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence singles, Howard delivered a huge blow with a 3-run bomb, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. Raul Ibanez added on with a 2-run shot later in the inning.
As the Phillies added on, Halladay found his groove. He did not allow a single hit to the Cards after the 2nd inning. Halladay went eight innings, allowing only the 3 runs in the 1st. This guy is amazing.
With an 11-3 lead, the Phillies decided to save Halladay's arm for another day and gave the 9th inning to Michael Stutes. It seemed like a good situation to baptize the rookie into his 1st postseason appearance. However, it did not work out too well for Stutes.
Stutes wound up getting charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning and closer Ryan Madson had to be brought in to clean up the mess. So the final score was 11-6. Worse for Stutes, this huge blunder has pretty much rendered him useless for the rest of the series.
So on to Game 2 Sunday night at 8:37pm. The good mood of the Phillies players Phillies and coaches yesterday is sure to carry over:
Here is the full Photo Album from Game 1...enjoy!
Go Phillies!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
