GaryMrMets
07-06-2004, 12:45 PM
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/s070604a.htm
Bullpen rescues Phils
Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Wagner slams door in victory over Mets
By RYAN LAWRENCE
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
After a wild first two innings, you had the feeling Monday night's matchup between the second-place New York Mets and the first-place Phillies at Citizens Bank Park would go down to the very last at-bat.
If it wasn't for the machine-gun arm of Billy Wagner, that may have been the case. But in front of a sellout crowd of raucous Phillies and Mets fans, Wagner was at his best.
The Phillies left-handed closer led a dominating effort by the bullpen with a 1-2-3 inning to collect his 13th save and preserve the Phillies' 6-5 come-from-behind win against Tom Glavine and the Mets.
Wagner marched out, made quick work of pinch hitters Mike Cameron and Todd Zeile with strikeouts and ended the game by getting Jose Reyes to fly out to right field as the Phillies upped their lead in the National League East to three games over the Mets and Florida Marlins.
"For our team to spot them three and come back against Glavine is unbelievable," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "To come back from 3-0 and win 6-5 is big."
The Phillies are now 44-37, seven games over .500 for the first time this season, at the midway point of the season.
After the first half-inning, however, the win didn't look promising.
It took just two swings in the top of the first inning for Mets fans to drown on the Phillies faithful. Phillies starter Paul Abbott - added to the rotation last month when Vicente Padilla was placed on the disabled list - allowed back-to-back mammoth home runs.
With two outs and one on, Cliff Floyd tattooed a two-run bomb deep into the right-field seats to put the Mets ahead 2-0.
Newly acquired Richard Hidalgo followed with a blast of his own to deep left to make it 3-0. Hidalgo's home run was his fifth in as many games - a Mets record.
But the Phillies quickly responded.
Their suddenly unstoppable offense socked eight hits for six runs in the first two innings off All-Star Tom Glavine, whose ERA jumped from 2.16 to 2.49 in the loss. In the two-inning barrage, every Phils starter except catcher Mike Lieberthal and Abbott had a hit.
"These guys are pretty even keel," Bowa said of his team's ability to bounce back against a top pitcher like Glavine. "They don't get high or too low. They don't overreact and they don't panic. They just approach it very professionally."
Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Pat Burrell and David Bell all collected a pair of hits against Glavine. Rollins' second-inning double upped his hitting streak to 10 games, while Polanco's first-inning single increased his streak to 10 in a row.
"No. 1 one, we don't panic," Burrell said of the offense's early-inning comeback.
"No. 2, our pitching has allowed us to get back in the game. Even if we have to come from behind, we wouldn't be able to if the pitching didn't give us the chance."
While the Phils offense notched an early inning save by bailing out Abbott, the bullpen earned the late inning win by preserving a one-run lead. Ryan Madson, Rheal Cormier, Tim Worrell and Wagner allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings of near-perfect relief effort.
After Abbott allowed a pair of runs on a two-run single to Floyd in the fifth, Madson was summoned from the bullpen to face the red-hot Hidalgo.
With two on and two out, Madson got Hidalgo to line out to Polanco to end the inning and protect the Phillies' 6-5 lead.
Madson came through again in the sixth. After a Bell throwing error put a runner on second with no out, Madson struck out Jason Phillips on a 2-2 change-up and then struck out Glavine, too.
Madson allowed a lead-off single to Jose Reyes in the seventh and then threw a wild pitch that advanced the Mets speedster to second with no one out. But some sharp defense saved Madson.
Kaz Matsui lined out to Polanco, who then quickly pivoted and fired to Rollins to double off Reyes at second.
After Mike Piazza followed with a single to right, Cormier relieved Madson. Cormier ended any threat of a rally by striking out Floyd to end the inning.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/images/s070604a.jpg
Try as he might, Jim Thome couldn't quite put a tag on Mets shortstop Kaz Matsui in the first inning of Monday's game at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 6-5.
Bullpen rescues Phils
Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Wagner slams door in victory over Mets
By RYAN LAWRENCE
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
After a wild first two innings, you had the feeling Monday night's matchup between the second-place New York Mets and the first-place Phillies at Citizens Bank Park would go down to the very last at-bat.
If it wasn't for the machine-gun arm of Billy Wagner, that may have been the case. But in front of a sellout crowd of raucous Phillies and Mets fans, Wagner was at his best.
The Phillies left-handed closer led a dominating effort by the bullpen with a 1-2-3 inning to collect his 13th save and preserve the Phillies' 6-5 come-from-behind win against Tom Glavine and the Mets.
Wagner marched out, made quick work of pinch hitters Mike Cameron and Todd Zeile with strikeouts and ended the game by getting Jose Reyes to fly out to right field as the Phillies upped their lead in the National League East to three games over the Mets and Florida Marlins.
"For our team to spot them three and come back against Glavine is unbelievable," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "To come back from 3-0 and win 6-5 is big."
The Phillies are now 44-37, seven games over .500 for the first time this season, at the midway point of the season.
After the first half-inning, however, the win didn't look promising.
It took just two swings in the top of the first inning for Mets fans to drown on the Phillies faithful. Phillies starter Paul Abbott - added to the rotation last month when Vicente Padilla was placed on the disabled list - allowed back-to-back mammoth home runs.
With two outs and one on, Cliff Floyd tattooed a two-run bomb deep into the right-field seats to put the Mets ahead 2-0.
Newly acquired Richard Hidalgo followed with a blast of his own to deep left to make it 3-0. Hidalgo's home run was his fifth in as many games - a Mets record.
But the Phillies quickly responded.
Their suddenly unstoppable offense socked eight hits for six runs in the first two innings off All-Star Tom Glavine, whose ERA jumped from 2.16 to 2.49 in the loss. In the two-inning barrage, every Phils starter except catcher Mike Lieberthal and Abbott had a hit.
"These guys are pretty even keel," Bowa said of his team's ability to bounce back against a top pitcher like Glavine. "They don't get high or too low. They don't overreact and they don't panic. They just approach it very professionally."
Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Pat Burrell and David Bell all collected a pair of hits against Glavine. Rollins' second-inning double upped his hitting streak to 10 games, while Polanco's first-inning single increased his streak to 10 in a row.
"No. 1 one, we don't panic," Burrell said of the offense's early-inning comeback.
"No. 2, our pitching has allowed us to get back in the game. Even if we have to come from behind, we wouldn't be able to if the pitching didn't give us the chance."
While the Phils offense notched an early inning save by bailing out Abbott, the bullpen earned the late inning win by preserving a one-run lead. Ryan Madson, Rheal Cormier, Tim Worrell and Wagner allowed just two hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings of near-perfect relief effort.
After Abbott allowed a pair of runs on a two-run single to Floyd in the fifth, Madson was summoned from the bullpen to face the red-hot Hidalgo.
With two on and two out, Madson got Hidalgo to line out to Polanco to end the inning and protect the Phillies' 6-5 lead.
Madson came through again in the sixth. After a Bell throwing error put a runner on second with no out, Madson struck out Jason Phillips on a 2-2 change-up and then struck out Glavine, too.
Madson allowed a lead-off single to Jose Reyes in the seventh and then threw a wild pitch that advanced the Mets speedster to second with no one out. But some sharp defense saved Madson.
Kaz Matsui lined out to Polanco, who then quickly pivoted and fired to Rollins to double off Reyes at second.
After Mike Piazza followed with a single to right, Cormier relieved Madson. Cormier ended any threat of a rally by striking out Floyd to end the inning.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/images/s070604a.jpg
Try as he might, Jim Thome couldn't quite put a tag on Mets shortstop Kaz Matsui in the first inning of Monday's game at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 6-5.