Through most of Tuesday night's series opener at Shea, Phils fans were wondering why the team traded anything at all for Joe Blanton. He was unimpressive, to be kind, and Johan Santana outshined him in a big way. No shock there. But Johan was relieved after the 8th, leaving the game with a 5-2 lead. And once again, his team let him down...
The Phillies teed off on the Mets bullpen, starting with reliever Duancr Sanchez. Due to some cramping and spasming, Billy Wagner was unavailable, and the Dirty promptly loaded the bases. After Sanchez was relieved, Chooch stepped in and sent a real screamer to short. Really tough play for Reyes. Can't fault him for this one.
Smith looked thrilled with Reyes there, huh? So Taguchi couldn't have picked a better time to notch his first pinch hit as a Phillie, doubling deep to right and plating two Phils to tie the game. Taguchi put in an 8-pitch at bat to bump that PH count to 1/17.
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Then the reigning MVP rose to the occasion, as we hoped he would at
some point in this series at Shea. Rollins doubled, scoring So Tag and
Ruiz.
Gotta love the fan with the 2007 NL Champs pennant from opening day. The guys at the end of the clip with the headgear? Not so much. The Mets would burn through four relievers in the inning, with the Phillies sending 11 batters to the plate. 8-5 Phillies going into the bottom of the frame after Howard adds an infield RBI.
Brad Lidge was a little shaky in the 9th, but ultimately closed it
out. Unbelievable finish. Unless you've seen the Mets bullpen before.