GaryMrMets
05-28-2006, 11:39 PM
http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/view_content_1p.asp?ID=31286
Madson, Howard Lift Phils Over Brewers
by Zach Berman
ComcastSportsNet.com
It wasn't long ago – five days to be exact – when Ryan Madson entered a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning against the New York Mets. Seven innings and six strikeouts later, Madson was still pitching.
His stint – and the game – ended with an ill-fated Carlos Beltran home run, but the impressive appearance was made more noteworthy by the fact that Madson, an early-season starter relegated to the bullpen, displayed the arsenal that made him a dependable reliever in 2005 and a viable starting option this season.
On Sunday, Madson returned to the mound as a starter and displayed the same pitching that kept hope alive at Shea Stadium on Tuesday. He struck out a career-high seven batters while walking only one in five innings. He allowed two runs and seven hits and even helped himself out on offense, pelting a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning, the first double and RBIs of the pitcher's career.
Together, Madson's all-around performance was enough to elevate the Phillies to a 6-2 win in front of 35,674 at Citizens Bank Park, avoiding what would have been the second time the Phillies were swept by the Brewers in as many weeks.
“The one think I wanted to do was throw fastballs, and I knew this was a very aggressive team and I had to mix it up a lot,” Madson said. “It really helped with the off-speed stuff. Because the arm action is the same between the fastball and changeup, so they’re missing the changeup because the arm action is the same.”
Manager Charlie Manuel said Madson, who pitched exclusively out of the stretch starting in the third inning, was trying to establish his fastball early to set up the breaking ball. As Madson and Manuel noted, the fastball is important for a pitcher like Madson because it will aid the second and third pitches, which in Madson’s case are an impressive changeup and an improving curveball.
The Phillies also received a boost from Ryan Howard, whose two-run home run in the fifth inning was his 17th of the season and third in four games. It was a bit of redemption for the first baseman, after a baserunning blunder an inning earlier caused the Phillies to go from two runners in scoring position with no outs to needing Madson’s double to salvage the inning. Howard was on third base and centerfielder Aaron Rowand on second base when third baseman David Bell hit a sharp grounder to third base that Howard ran home on, only to be called out convincingly.
But Howard’s ferocious home run was more than redeeming and is what the Phillies have come to expect from the reigning Rookie of the Year, who hit his 12th home run in May alone.
“I didn’t even know if it was going to get out or not, but I hit it pretty well down the line and fortunately it was high enough to get it over the wall,” Howard said. “I’ve seen a little better as far as trying to look at pitches and trying to recognize what opposing teams are trying to do.”
Madson’s two RBIs in the fourth inning and Howard’s pair in the fifth inning were matched by two more runs in the sixth inning, when Brewers reliever Jeff Winkelsas allowed three hits and a walk and wasn’t helped by his defense, either.
Brewers third baseman Corey Koskie bobbled a groundball for an error and second baseman Rickie Weeks made a nice play on a Chase Utley groundball with the bases loaded but tried flicking the ball behind his back to snatch the runner at second, but the errant toss failed in reaching its target.
The Phillies failed to fully capitalize, though, leaving the bases loaded for the second time in the game. (The Phillies also left three stranded in the second inning). Pat Burrell was at the plate with bases loaded in the second time, but struck out. Both Burrell and No. 3 hitter Bobby Abreu were hitless on Sunday afternoon.
“We scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth and two sixth, but I felt we could have scored some more,” Manuel said. “Of course, you talk everyday, and there are things we need to work on.”
The win was an important one for the Phillies. They’ve been in a downward spiral since catching the National League by storm after winning 13 of 14 games in the middle of May. But since May 16, the Phillies have won just three of its last 12 games. Coincidence or not, each win came at the end of a three-game series to avoid a sweep.“I hope (it’s not a coincidence), because if it is, we’d be in a whole lot of trouble,” Manuel said. “I hope it’s something we can work through so we can start playing consistent baseball and starting winning those series two out of three.”
http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/images/content/phillies/052806-howard_homer1.jpg
Ryan Howard gives the Phils a 4-2 lead with a home run in the fifth inning. (AP)
Madson, Howard Lift Phils Over Brewers
by Zach Berman
ComcastSportsNet.com
It wasn't long ago – five days to be exact – when Ryan Madson entered a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning against the New York Mets. Seven innings and six strikeouts later, Madson was still pitching.
His stint – and the game – ended with an ill-fated Carlos Beltran home run, but the impressive appearance was made more noteworthy by the fact that Madson, an early-season starter relegated to the bullpen, displayed the arsenal that made him a dependable reliever in 2005 and a viable starting option this season.
On Sunday, Madson returned to the mound as a starter and displayed the same pitching that kept hope alive at Shea Stadium on Tuesday. He struck out a career-high seven batters while walking only one in five innings. He allowed two runs and seven hits and even helped himself out on offense, pelting a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning, the first double and RBIs of the pitcher's career.
Together, Madson's all-around performance was enough to elevate the Phillies to a 6-2 win in front of 35,674 at Citizens Bank Park, avoiding what would have been the second time the Phillies were swept by the Brewers in as many weeks.
“The one think I wanted to do was throw fastballs, and I knew this was a very aggressive team and I had to mix it up a lot,” Madson said. “It really helped with the off-speed stuff. Because the arm action is the same between the fastball and changeup, so they’re missing the changeup because the arm action is the same.”
Manager Charlie Manuel said Madson, who pitched exclusively out of the stretch starting in the third inning, was trying to establish his fastball early to set up the breaking ball. As Madson and Manuel noted, the fastball is important for a pitcher like Madson because it will aid the second and third pitches, which in Madson’s case are an impressive changeup and an improving curveball.
The Phillies also received a boost from Ryan Howard, whose two-run home run in the fifth inning was his 17th of the season and third in four games. It was a bit of redemption for the first baseman, after a baserunning blunder an inning earlier caused the Phillies to go from two runners in scoring position with no outs to needing Madson’s double to salvage the inning. Howard was on third base and centerfielder Aaron Rowand on second base when third baseman David Bell hit a sharp grounder to third base that Howard ran home on, only to be called out convincingly.
But Howard’s ferocious home run was more than redeeming and is what the Phillies have come to expect from the reigning Rookie of the Year, who hit his 12th home run in May alone.
“I didn’t even know if it was going to get out or not, but I hit it pretty well down the line and fortunately it was high enough to get it over the wall,” Howard said. “I’ve seen a little better as far as trying to look at pitches and trying to recognize what opposing teams are trying to do.”
Madson’s two RBIs in the fourth inning and Howard’s pair in the fifth inning were matched by two more runs in the sixth inning, when Brewers reliever Jeff Winkelsas allowed three hits and a walk and wasn’t helped by his defense, either.
Brewers third baseman Corey Koskie bobbled a groundball for an error and second baseman Rickie Weeks made a nice play on a Chase Utley groundball with the bases loaded but tried flicking the ball behind his back to snatch the runner at second, but the errant toss failed in reaching its target.
The Phillies failed to fully capitalize, though, leaving the bases loaded for the second time in the game. (The Phillies also left three stranded in the second inning). Pat Burrell was at the plate with bases loaded in the second time, but struck out. Both Burrell and No. 3 hitter Bobby Abreu were hitless on Sunday afternoon.
“We scored two in the fourth, two in the fifth and two sixth, but I felt we could have scored some more,” Manuel said. “Of course, you talk everyday, and there are things we need to work on.”
The win was an important one for the Phillies. They’ve been in a downward spiral since catching the National League by storm after winning 13 of 14 games in the middle of May. But since May 16, the Phillies have won just three of its last 12 games. Coincidence or not, each win came at the end of a three-game series to avoid a sweep.“I hope (it’s not a coincidence), because if it is, we’d be in a whole lot of trouble,” Manuel said. “I hope it’s something we can work through so we can start playing consistent baseball and starting winning those series two out of three.”
http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/images/content/phillies/052806-howard_homer1.jpg
Ryan Howard gives the Phils a 4-2 lead with a home run in the fifth inning. (AP)