Phillies Recap: August 14, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 3, Atlanta Braves 2

Both Joe Blanton and Jair Jurrjens pitched well early in the game, as the teams traded two runs. The Phillies and the Braves played that way until the ninth inning, when the Phillies took the lead and won the game 3-2. It was a well-played, nail-biting game, right until the final out was recorded. But the most important part is that the Phillies have opened the series strong and defeated their division foe.

Joe Blanton gave up an early earned run and then scattered several hits early through the game. He seemed to be somewhat wild in the strike zone but only walked one. A Pedro Feliz error led to the game tying, unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. However, the defense picked him up as Shane Victorino made a pair of highlight-reel catches at the centerfield fence to save certain trouble. Blanton ended up going seven innings, allowing seven hits and just one earned run, while striking out a pair. Ryan Madson (4-4) pitched an easy eighth inning and Brad Lidge bounced back from a blown save to record his 22nd of the season.

The Phillies finally found a way to score on Jair Jurrjens, as Chase Utley ripped a two-run homer in the fourth inning. The Phillies offense showed its trademark patience in that inning, dealing a more important blow to Jurrjens's pitch count. However, the young righty was still sharp, with good command of all of his pitches. Jurrjens turned the game over to the bullpen after seven sharp innings, but in the top of the ninth, Ryan Howard crushed a centerfield homer off of Rafael Soriano (1-4), who took the loss.

The Phillies have now won four in a row on the road, already securing a winning record on the trip. The win was text book, as the Phillies got a strong performance by Blanton and two shut-down innings from the back end of their pen. It's a good start to the weekend, as they open up a six game advantage over the Braves and maintain their 4.5 game lead over the Marlins, who won again as well. Tomorrow, the Phillies will look to carry on their momentum on the road.