Tom Gordon notched his first win of the season last night, but as is often the case with a closer, that's not really a good thing. When Gordon entered the game, the Phils were up, having just overcome a one-run deficit in dramatic fashion. In the 8th, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley each mashed solo shots, giving Gordon the opportunity to blow his third save of the young season. Flash gave up two hits and the tying run, but in the bottom of the ninth, Michael Bourn drew a walk, the white-hot Aaron Rowand picked up his fourth hit of the game, followed by a clutch bunt by Wes Helms, and then Carlos Ruiz shot Marlins reliever Randy Messenger, delivering a bases-loaded single to win it.
Rowand, who moved up to the 6 spot in the lineup and fell a triple short of the cycle, homered in the second inning, giving him 5 on the season to go with a gaudy .390 average. Ruiz had another good night at the plate, going 3-5, and behind it, throwing out two attempted steals. I'm not sure why we're still seeing so much of Rod Barajas...
The Big Guy continued to struggle, and Antonio Alfonseca had his first substandard showing of the season, giving up three runners inherited from starter Freddy Garcia. Freddy continued to be less than stellar, throwing a lot of pitches but not getting past the 5th inning. He gave up two home runs, which is more or less the norm for him, and he steered clear of getting into too much trouble. Brett Myers pitched two scoreless innings, notching 4 K's but allowing 4 hits, and Ryan Madson quietly put up another scoreless appearance, his sixth in a row.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While we're all watching the draft today, the Phils will take the field at 7:10, with Adam Eaton (2-1, 6.46) taking on the D-Train (4-1, 5.28). Should make for some nice channel flipping later.