GaryMrMets
09-14-2005, 01:49 PM
Phillies 5, Braves 4
By ROB MAADDI
.c The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Phillies' young players again outdid Atlanta's heralded rookies.
Mike Lieberthal drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the sixth inning, leading the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night.
The Phillies remained one game behind Florida in the NL wild-card race. They have won two straight over East-leading Atlanta and four of five overall since being swept by the Astros last week.
``We're relaxed, we're not panicking and we're not getting overly aggressive when we're down,'' said Billy Wagner, who earned his 34th save in 37 chances with a scoreless ninth.
One night after Eude Brito pitched six scoreless innings in his third career start, the Phillies again got contributions from their youngsters. Rookie Ryan Howard homered and doubled, and Chase Utley drove in two runs.
Gavin Floyd couldn't match Brito's performance, but kept Philadelphia in the game, allowing four runs in five innings in his eighth big-league start.
``Surprised? Not really,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ``As long as they stay focused on what they're doing, they can do some good things for us.''
Kenny Lofton went 3-for-3 with a triple and scored twice for Philadelphia.
Andruw Jones had a three-run double for the Braves, increasing his NL-leading RBI total to 124.
Atlanta has relied heavily on its rookies this season while pursuing an unprecedented 14th consecutive division title. The Braves have used 17 rookies, including 11 who made their major league debut this season.
``You have to go out there and take care of business,'' Howard said.
Philadelphia's overused bullpen held Atlanta scoreless over the last four innings. Aaron Fultz (4-0) tossed a perfect sixth, Ryan Madson pitched the seventh and Ugueth Urbina worked the eighth, before giving way to Wagner.
After the Braves scored four runs off Floyd to take a 4-2 lead in the fifth, the Phillies scored three unanswered runs.
With one out in the sixth, Howard doubled to right-center off Blaine Boyer (2-2). After David Bell flied out, Lieberthal lined a single to right field. The heavy-footed Howard came charging around third, testing Jeff Francoeur's strong arm. Francoeur, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year who came in tied for the NL lead with 11 outfield assists, threw way up the line, allowing Howard to score.
Floyd, who pitched out of a jam in the fourth, got in trouble again in the fifth by loading the bases with no outs. He struck out Rafael Furcal looking at a slow curve and retired Marcus Giles on a popup to second baseman Utley.
But Francoeur lined a single to right to cut it to 2-1, and Jones followed with a bases-loaded double to left that gave Atlanta a 4-2 lead.
Floyd escaped trouble in the fourth by striking out Jones and Julio Franco with runners on second and third. He then retired Ryan Langerhans on a fly to left to end the inning.
``When you lose two games in a row and when you get so many opportunities to score some runs and you don't take advantage of them, it can be frustrating,'' Jones said.
The Phillies scored twice with two outs in the fifth to tie it at 4. John Thomson retired the first two batters, before Jimmy Rollins doubled to left-center, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. Lofton drove him in with a single to center and scored on Utley's double into the right-field corner.
Utley's RBI single in the first gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Howard made it 2-0 when he led off the second with a shot deep into the right-field seats. The slugging first baseman, playing for the injured Jim Thome, has 17 homers, despite spending most of the first three months in the minors.
It was an encouraging start for Floyd, despite allowing four runs. Once considered a top prospect, Floyd struggled this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fourth overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Floyd began the year in the starting rotation filling in for the injured Vicente Padilla. He went 1-1, was moved into the bullpen, and hasn't been the same pitcher since. The right-hander was 6-9 with a 6.16 ERA at Scranton.
Thomson gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. He remained winless since May 5, a span of only eight starts because he missed three months with an injured finger.
``I felt strong. My location was good other than the pitch to Utley and Howard,'' Thomson said.
Notes:@ Rollins' hitting streak is the longest for Philadelphia since Lenny Dykstra hit in 23 straight in 1990. ... Braves 3B Chipper Jones didn't start because of a strained left quadriceps. He struck out in the ninth as a pinch hitter. ... Lofton was 1-for-14 against Thomson entering the game, before going 3-for-3. ... LF Pat Burrell earned a standing ovation for a sliding catch to rob Langerhans leading off the sixth. ... Lieberthal threw out Furcal trying to steal in the seventh.
09/13/05 23:06 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
*************************************
Braves-Phillies Box Score
.c The Associated Press
ATLANTA
ab r h bi
Furcal ss 5 0 1 0
MGiles 2b 3 0 0 0
Francoeur rf 4 1 2 1
AJones cf 4 0 1 3
JuFranco 1b 4 0 1 0
Orr pr 0 0 0 0
LaRoche 1b 0 0 0 0
Langerhans lf 4 0 0 0
Betemit 3b 3 1 0 0
McCann c 3 1 1 0
BJordan ph 1 0 1 0
Johnson pr 0 0 0 0
Thomson p 1 1 1 0
Boyer p 0 0 0 0
AMarte ph 0 0 0 0
Hollandsworth ph 1 0 0 0
Foster p 0 0 0 0
Reitsma p 0 0 0 0
CJones ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 34 4 8 4
PHILADELPHIA
ab r h bi
Rollins ss 3 1 1 0
Lofton cf 3 2 3 1
Michaels cf 1 0 0 0
Utley 2b 3 0 2 2
BAbreu rf 4 0 1 0
Burrell lf 4 0 1 0
Chavez cf 0 0 0 0
Howard 1b 4 2 2 1
DaBell 3b 4 0 1 0
Lieberthal c 4 0 1 1
Floyd p 1 0 0 0
Victorino ph 1 0 0 0
Fultz p 0 0 0 0
Madson p 0 0 0 0
REMartinez ph 1 0 1 0
Urbina p 0 0 0 0
ToPerez ph 1 0 0 0
BWagner p 0 0 0 0
Totals 34 5 13 5
Atlanta 000 040 000-4
Philadelphia 110 021 00x-5
LOB-Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 7. 2B-AJones (24), JuFranco (11), McCann (5), Thomson (2), Rollins (28), Utley (31), BAbreu (32), Howard (12). 3B-Lofton (5). HR-Howard (17). CS-Furcal (9), Utley (3). S-Rollins.
IP H R ER BB SO
Atlanta
Thomson 5 8 4 4 0 2
Boyer L,2-2 1 2 1 1 0 1
Foster 1 1 0 0 1 1
Reitsma 1 2 0 0 0 1
Philadelphia
Floyd 5 5 4 4 3 6
Fultz W,4-0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Madson 1 1 0 0 0 1
Urbina 1 1 0 0 0 1
BWagner S,34 1 1 0 0 0 2
Umpires-Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Jeff Kellogg; Second, Paul Schrieber; Third, Mike Reilly. T-2:53. A-24,311 (43,826).
09/13/05 22:18 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
By ROB MAADDI
.c The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Phillies' young players again outdid Atlanta's heralded rookies.
Mike Lieberthal drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the sixth inning, leading the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night.
The Phillies remained one game behind Florida in the NL wild-card race. They have won two straight over East-leading Atlanta and four of five overall since being swept by the Astros last week.
``We're relaxed, we're not panicking and we're not getting overly aggressive when we're down,'' said Billy Wagner, who earned his 34th save in 37 chances with a scoreless ninth.
One night after Eude Brito pitched six scoreless innings in his third career start, the Phillies again got contributions from their youngsters. Rookie Ryan Howard homered and doubled, and Chase Utley drove in two runs.
Gavin Floyd couldn't match Brito's performance, but kept Philadelphia in the game, allowing four runs in five innings in his eighth big-league start.
``Surprised? Not really,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ``As long as they stay focused on what they're doing, they can do some good things for us.''
Kenny Lofton went 3-for-3 with a triple and scored twice for Philadelphia.
Andruw Jones had a three-run double for the Braves, increasing his NL-leading RBI total to 124.
Atlanta has relied heavily on its rookies this season while pursuing an unprecedented 14th consecutive division title. The Braves have used 17 rookies, including 11 who made their major league debut this season.
``You have to go out there and take care of business,'' Howard said.
Philadelphia's overused bullpen held Atlanta scoreless over the last four innings. Aaron Fultz (4-0) tossed a perfect sixth, Ryan Madson pitched the seventh and Ugueth Urbina worked the eighth, before giving way to Wagner.
After the Braves scored four runs off Floyd to take a 4-2 lead in the fifth, the Phillies scored three unanswered runs.
With one out in the sixth, Howard doubled to right-center off Blaine Boyer (2-2). After David Bell flied out, Lieberthal lined a single to right field. The heavy-footed Howard came charging around third, testing Jeff Francoeur's strong arm. Francoeur, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year who came in tied for the NL lead with 11 outfield assists, threw way up the line, allowing Howard to score.
Floyd, who pitched out of a jam in the fourth, got in trouble again in the fifth by loading the bases with no outs. He struck out Rafael Furcal looking at a slow curve and retired Marcus Giles on a popup to second baseman Utley.
But Francoeur lined a single to right to cut it to 2-1, and Jones followed with a bases-loaded double to left that gave Atlanta a 4-2 lead.
Floyd escaped trouble in the fourth by striking out Jones and Julio Franco with runners on second and third. He then retired Ryan Langerhans on a fly to left to end the inning.
``When you lose two games in a row and when you get so many opportunities to score some runs and you don't take advantage of them, it can be frustrating,'' Jones said.
The Phillies scored twice with two outs in the fifth to tie it at 4. John Thomson retired the first two batters, before Jimmy Rollins doubled to left-center, extending his hitting streak to 19 games. Lofton drove him in with a single to center and scored on Utley's double into the right-field corner.
Utley's RBI single in the first gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Howard made it 2-0 when he led off the second with a shot deep into the right-field seats. The slugging first baseman, playing for the injured Jim Thome, has 17 homers, despite spending most of the first three months in the minors.
It was an encouraging start for Floyd, despite allowing four runs. Once considered a top prospect, Floyd struggled this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fourth overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft, Floyd began the year in the starting rotation filling in for the injured Vicente Padilla. He went 1-1, was moved into the bullpen, and hasn't been the same pitcher since. The right-hander was 6-9 with a 6.16 ERA at Scranton.
Thomson gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. He remained winless since May 5, a span of only eight starts because he missed three months with an injured finger.
``I felt strong. My location was good other than the pitch to Utley and Howard,'' Thomson said.
Notes:@ Rollins' hitting streak is the longest for Philadelphia since Lenny Dykstra hit in 23 straight in 1990. ... Braves 3B Chipper Jones didn't start because of a strained left quadriceps. He struck out in the ninth as a pinch hitter. ... Lofton was 1-for-14 against Thomson entering the game, before going 3-for-3. ... LF Pat Burrell earned a standing ovation for a sliding catch to rob Langerhans leading off the sixth. ... Lieberthal threw out Furcal trying to steal in the seventh.
09/13/05 23:06 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
*************************************
Braves-Phillies Box Score
.c The Associated Press
ATLANTA
ab r h bi
Furcal ss 5 0 1 0
MGiles 2b 3 0 0 0
Francoeur rf 4 1 2 1
AJones cf 4 0 1 3
JuFranco 1b 4 0 1 0
Orr pr 0 0 0 0
LaRoche 1b 0 0 0 0
Langerhans lf 4 0 0 0
Betemit 3b 3 1 0 0
McCann c 3 1 1 0
BJordan ph 1 0 1 0
Johnson pr 0 0 0 0
Thomson p 1 1 1 0
Boyer p 0 0 0 0
AMarte ph 0 0 0 0
Hollandsworth ph 1 0 0 0
Foster p 0 0 0 0
Reitsma p 0 0 0 0
CJones ph 1 0 0 0
Totals 34 4 8 4
PHILADELPHIA
ab r h bi
Rollins ss 3 1 1 0
Lofton cf 3 2 3 1
Michaels cf 1 0 0 0
Utley 2b 3 0 2 2
BAbreu rf 4 0 1 0
Burrell lf 4 0 1 0
Chavez cf 0 0 0 0
Howard 1b 4 2 2 1
DaBell 3b 4 0 1 0
Lieberthal c 4 0 1 1
Floyd p 1 0 0 0
Victorino ph 1 0 0 0
Fultz p 0 0 0 0
Madson p 0 0 0 0
REMartinez ph 1 0 1 0
Urbina p 0 0 0 0
ToPerez ph 1 0 0 0
BWagner p 0 0 0 0
Totals 34 5 13 5
Atlanta 000 040 000-4
Philadelphia 110 021 00x-5
LOB-Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 7. 2B-AJones (24), JuFranco (11), McCann (5), Thomson (2), Rollins (28), Utley (31), BAbreu (32), Howard (12). 3B-Lofton (5). HR-Howard (17). CS-Furcal (9), Utley (3). S-Rollins.
IP H R ER BB SO
Atlanta
Thomson 5 8 4 4 0 2
Boyer L,2-2 1 2 1 1 0 1
Foster 1 1 0 0 1 1
Reitsma 1 2 0 0 0 1
Philadelphia
Floyd 5 5 4 4 3 6
Fultz W,4-0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Madson 1 1 0 0 0 1
Urbina 1 1 0 0 0 1
BWagner S,34 1 1 0 0 0 2
Umpires-Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Jeff Kellogg; Second, Paul Schrieber; Third, Mike Reilly. T-2:53. A-24,311 (43,826).
09/13/05 22:18 EDT
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.