Phillies Recap: September 20, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 4, Atlanta Braves 2

W - Walker (2-0), L - Hanson (10-4), S - Lidge (31)

Watching the Phillies every day, it's easy to lose sight of a simple fact: they are a really, really good team. Cliff Lee pitched well but had his outing cut short by a rain delay in the fifth inning, and he did not qualify for the win. But the Phillies did a great job of scoring organic runs against Braves' rookie Tommy Hanson. After the rain delay, the Phils held off the Braves to win the series with a final score of 4-2.

It was the third straight game in which the Phillies' starter didn't make it through five innings. With a double-header coming on Tuesday, the bullpen will get a much needed day off tomorrow. But today, they picked up Cliff Lee and helped the Phillies win the ball game. Lee went four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and struck out two. But the Phillies' pen came in and tossed five solid innings, fanning nine batters and allowing just one earned run. Brad Lidge pitched well again, despite allowing an earned run, to record his 31st save in 41 opportunities.

Tommy Hanson pitched well early for the Braves, tallying several strike outs. However, his pitch count escalated quickly and the Phillies hit some balls hard in the gaps against him. Though he did not allow a homer, he left after five innings, having allowed four earned runs on seven hits and four walks. Hanson did strike out seven, but the damage had been done. Shane Victorino was thrown out of the game in the first inning, on a disputed strike out double play. The Braves' piece-meal bullpen came in to keep the Phils off the score board, in a nice effort.

What a bounce-back win for the Phillies. Their offense was solid all series, scoring 17 runs and not relying too heavily on the long ball. They won the series from the Braves, though they still finished 2009 with a losing record against Atlanta. More importantly, the Phillies push their magic number to six as they prepare to play three in Florida this week. This weekend all but eliminated the Braves from playoff contention, and once again proves that the Phillies are the class of the National League.