Phillies Recap: August 18, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

On a night that featured a quick thunderstorm delay, the Phillies looked like they were going to struggle again with their clutch hitting. However, despite Pedro Martinez's start being cut short by the rain, the Phillies rallied with a nice effort and win against the Diamondbacks. Once the game and rain were done, the Phils had pulled out a nice 5-1 victory.

Pedro Martinez looked a little shaky in the first inning, giving up a leadoff homer to Stephen Drew. However, he settled down for the next two innings and escaped unscathed before the rains came. Jamie Moyer (11-9) came in to the game in relief, his first such appearance as a Phillie, and pitched very well. Moyer completed the game for Martinez, throwing six shutout innings, allowing two hits while striking out five. Almost as impressive was Moyer at the plate, where he singled twice.

From the beginning of the game, Jon Garland (6-11) worked in and out of trouble. In the first inning, the Phillies loaded the bases with no one out before stranding the bases that way. However, their offense came alive after the rain delay, thanks to some questionable defense from Arizona left fielder Ryan Roberts. The inning culminated in three two-out hits resulting in three runs and the lead. Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz each hit solo homeruns to tack on to the lead, but Ryan Howard had a tough night as he struck out twice with the bases loaded and flied out to the wall on two other occasions.

Overall, this was an important game for the Phillies, not just because they won but also how they won. With the rain delay, the Phillies avoided decimating their bullpen by using their new long-man, Jamie Moyer. Equally important was Moyer's effort, who was effective in his new role and showed a great attitude. And the much-maligned Phillies offense managed do better with runners in scoring position, but not great as they left the bases loaded twice. It was important to take the first game of the series, as they will face off in a pitcher's duel tomorrow night.