Phils lose to the Dodgers in a slugfest
Andre Ethier finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI while Casey Blake homered and posted four RBI, as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 15-9, in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
Jay Gibbons homered and drove in three runs while James Loney and Matt Kemp both added a pair of RBI for the Dodgers, who have won three straight and five of their last seven games overall.
Ross Gload hit a pair of two-run homers for the Phillies, who lost for only the second time in their last 15 home games. Rookie Domonic Brown hit his first major league homer and drove in four runs in the losing effort.
The Phillies fell 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East race.
After Ethier's RBI single opened the scoring in the first inning, the Dodgers scored two more in the top of the third. Ryan Theriot reached first base on a bunt single with one out and raced around to score when Ethier followed with a double. Later in the frame, after Ethier had moved to third base via a walk and a groundout, Gibbons' base hit made it 3-0.
Four more Los Angeles runs in the fourth sprung the floodgates open. Brad Ausmus led off with a single and when starting pitcher Vicente Padilla put down a bunt to advance Ausmus, a fielding error by Jimmy Rollins allowed Padilla to reach safely.
Padilla (6-3) picked up the win after he pitched five innings and was charged with four runs on six hits.
Scott Podsednik's single loaded the bases and Theriot's fly ball to right field was deep enough to allow Ausmus to successfully tag-up and score. Philadelphia starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick was then replaced by Antonio Bastardo, who yielded a single to Ethier that scored Padilla. Ensuing consecutive singles by Loney and Blake, respectively, brought home two more runs in the form of Podsednik and Ethier for a 7-0 lead.
Kendrick (7-5) allowed six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies got on the board via Brown's sacrifice fly.
Philadelphia drew within 7-4 with three runs in the home fifth. Wilson Valdez crossed the plate on a ground out off the bat of Placido Polanco, who then trotted home when Gload belted a fastball into the seats in right field.
However, the game was essentially put away when the Dodgers scored four runs in the sixth. Theriot singled and stole second before Ethier walked. When Loney doubled to deep right field, Theriot scored. A sac fly off the bat of Blake then brought home Ethier and Gibbons delivered a two-run bomb -- which also plated Loney -- to right for a commanding 11-4 LA advantage.
Brown's solo blast in the sixth accounted for Philadelphia's fifth run, and a two-run single by Kemp in the seventh created a 13-5 score. Gload's second two-run blast of the night, in the home seventh, made it 13-7 and a two-run blast by Blake in the ninth, a line drive which barely cleared the wall in left field, made it 15-7.
In the bottom of the ninth, Philly loaded the bases for Brown, who sliced a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line but pinch-hitter Cole Hamels popped out to finally end the contest.
Game Notes
Bastardo was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to the game, a move made in correspondence with the optioning of John Mayberry, Jr. on Sunday...Philadelphia's Raul Ibanez went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 18 games...The teams combined for 32 hits, 18 for Los Angeles...Rollins committed both Philadelphia errors...The Dodgers were 9- for-17 with runners in scoring position...Non-waiver trade deadline acquisition Roy Oswalt will make his home debut on Wednesday...The game took three hours, 40 minutes to complete.
