GaryMrMets
07-06-2004, 01:25 AM
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/9062597.htm
Posted on Fri, Jul. 02, 2004
On fireworks night, Phils' bats light up the night
By MARCUS HAYES
hayesm@phillynews.com
ANOTHER EXPOS GAME, another imperfect start from a Phillies pitcher, another offensive explosion.
The Phillies finished their four-game series against the Expos with a 10-5 win last night at Citizens Bank Park. Only a blown save Wednesday night by otherwise reliable setup reliever Tim Worrell kept the Phillies from their first four-game series sweep of the season.
"Then we come back from a tough one and win tonight," manager Larry Bowa said. And win big for the third game out of four. The wins came thanks mostly to the bats, which produced 44 runs - plenty to stave off the Expos' respectable 24. That reality is encouraging, since the Phillies' offense had struggled at home entering the series.
But it is discouraging, perhaps, since the Expos are, by far, baseball's worst offensive team, and the Phillies needed comebacks from three runs down in each of their wins.
"That's sort of rolling the dice," Bowa acknowledged.
So was using lefthander Randy Wolf in his second start since missing 16 games with elbow tendinitis. Wolf made it through seven innings. He gave up one in the first - Phillies killer Brad Wilkerson's third leadoff homer against the Phils this season - and three in a shaky third to fall behind, 4-1.
"I made some bad pitches in that inning," Wolf acknowledged.
But the bats came alive, as they did in the first two games. Pat Burrell, playing with a strained groin that cost him Wednesday's game, singled twice, doubled and drove in three. Mike Lieberthal added a three-run homer, an RBI double and a single.
The offense was a reward to the 43,246 fans in attendance, the 18th sellout crowd of the season, who endured a 29-minute rain delay and were there as much for postgame fireworks as the in-game incendiaries.
The fireworks came early, courtesy of Expos lefthander Scott Downs. He was splendid in Triple A this season. He hasn't been as good in his two starts in the majors.
The Phillies ripped him for six runs off six hits in the third inning.
Key were a leadoff bunt by Jimmy Rollins, who moved to second when catcher Einar Diaz overthrew first; a two-run, broken-bat single by Burrell; and a three-run homer by Lieberthal that chased Downs after only 2 1/3 innings.
First baseman Jim Thome delivered a scare in the inning.
He ripped a double and scored on Burrell's single, but, unsure whether to slide as he approached the plate, he totally missed it and strained his right Achilles' tendon. He returned, touched the plate and didn't miss a play, but his immediate availability for this weekend's series against the visiting Orioles and the lefties they will start tonight and tomorrow remains uncertain - let alone what might lie ahead if Thome wakes up gimpy today.
"I don't want to think about it," said Bowa, whose roster has been riddled by injuries, including some Thome has played through en route to leading the majors with 27 homers. "That would be ugly."
Not if the Phils produce the way they have around him.
Sun-Woo Kim squelched the Phils after he entered in the third, but in the fourth, they got another RBI single from Burrell, thanks to a clever slide by Placido Polanco. This time, Lieberthal struck out with the bases loaded to minimize the damage and leave it 8-4.
The Phillies got two more off Rocky Biddle in the sixth on Lieberthal's RBI double and Wolf's single - that's right, Wolf's single. He was allowed to bat in the sixth because he was below his pitch count and had cruised after the third.
He exited after seven having thrown 100 pitches. He allowed only a walk and a hit after the third.
"I'm very pleased with the way he's thrown," Bowa said. "Hopefully, he's on his way."
Similarly, the offense appears to be on track. Content to smash line drives and hope they fly out instead of trying to lift fly balls into the jet stream at new Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies scored more runs in a four-game set than they had in 73 years. Burrell, Lieberthal and David Bell did the driving; Thome seldom got a pitch to hit.
"If they're going to pitch around Thome, the guys behind him have to be ready," Burrell said.
Three out of four times in this series, they were.
Vuke's dad passes away
Third-base coach John Vukovich's father, John Vidak Vukovich, died Tuesday night in Jackson, Calif., at age 94. Vukovich will miss this weekend's series against the Baltimore Orioles to attend services tomorrow. Bench coach Gary Varsho will fill in at third.
Posted on Fri, Jul. 02, 2004
On fireworks night, Phils' bats light up the night
By MARCUS HAYES
hayesm@phillynews.com
ANOTHER EXPOS GAME, another imperfect start from a Phillies pitcher, another offensive explosion.
The Phillies finished their four-game series against the Expos with a 10-5 win last night at Citizens Bank Park. Only a blown save Wednesday night by otherwise reliable setup reliever Tim Worrell kept the Phillies from their first four-game series sweep of the season.
"Then we come back from a tough one and win tonight," manager Larry Bowa said. And win big for the third game out of four. The wins came thanks mostly to the bats, which produced 44 runs - plenty to stave off the Expos' respectable 24. That reality is encouraging, since the Phillies' offense had struggled at home entering the series.
But it is discouraging, perhaps, since the Expos are, by far, baseball's worst offensive team, and the Phillies needed comebacks from three runs down in each of their wins.
"That's sort of rolling the dice," Bowa acknowledged.
So was using lefthander Randy Wolf in his second start since missing 16 games with elbow tendinitis. Wolf made it through seven innings. He gave up one in the first - Phillies killer Brad Wilkerson's third leadoff homer against the Phils this season - and three in a shaky third to fall behind, 4-1.
"I made some bad pitches in that inning," Wolf acknowledged.
But the bats came alive, as they did in the first two games. Pat Burrell, playing with a strained groin that cost him Wednesday's game, singled twice, doubled and drove in three. Mike Lieberthal added a three-run homer, an RBI double and a single.
The offense was a reward to the 43,246 fans in attendance, the 18th sellout crowd of the season, who endured a 29-minute rain delay and were there as much for postgame fireworks as the in-game incendiaries.
The fireworks came early, courtesy of Expos lefthander Scott Downs. He was splendid in Triple A this season. He hasn't been as good in his two starts in the majors.
The Phillies ripped him for six runs off six hits in the third inning.
Key were a leadoff bunt by Jimmy Rollins, who moved to second when catcher Einar Diaz overthrew first; a two-run, broken-bat single by Burrell; and a three-run homer by Lieberthal that chased Downs after only 2 1/3 innings.
First baseman Jim Thome delivered a scare in the inning.
He ripped a double and scored on Burrell's single, but, unsure whether to slide as he approached the plate, he totally missed it and strained his right Achilles' tendon. He returned, touched the plate and didn't miss a play, but his immediate availability for this weekend's series against the visiting Orioles and the lefties they will start tonight and tomorrow remains uncertain - let alone what might lie ahead if Thome wakes up gimpy today.
"I don't want to think about it," said Bowa, whose roster has been riddled by injuries, including some Thome has played through en route to leading the majors with 27 homers. "That would be ugly."
Not if the Phils produce the way they have around him.
Sun-Woo Kim squelched the Phils after he entered in the third, but in the fourth, they got another RBI single from Burrell, thanks to a clever slide by Placido Polanco. This time, Lieberthal struck out with the bases loaded to minimize the damage and leave it 8-4.
The Phillies got two more off Rocky Biddle in the sixth on Lieberthal's RBI double and Wolf's single - that's right, Wolf's single. He was allowed to bat in the sixth because he was below his pitch count and had cruised after the third.
He exited after seven having thrown 100 pitches. He allowed only a walk and a hit after the third.
"I'm very pleased with the way he's thrown," Bowa said. "Hopefully, he's on his way."
Similarly, the offense appears to be on track. Content to smash line drives and hope they fly out instead of trying to lift fly balls into the jet stream at new Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies scored more runs in a four-game set than they had in 73 years. Burrell, Lieberthal and David Bell did the driving; Thome seldom got a pitch to hit.
"If they're going to pitch around Thome, the guys behind him have to be ready," Burrell said.
Three out of four times in this series, they were.
Vuke's dad passes away
Third-base coach John Vukovich's father, John Vidak Vukovich, died Tuesday night in Jackson, Calif., at age 94. Vukovich will miss this weekend's series against the Baltimore Orioles to attend services tomorrow. Bench coach Gary Varsho will fill in at third.