Not A Good Night for the Phils

Last night was a washout for the Phillies in many ways, but unfortunately not enough as they were able to complete 7 1/2 innings. The game was delayed by rain at the outset and eventually called with the Phillies due to bat in the 8th inning. In between, the game was all Braves as they outscored the Phillies 9-1 on the strength of four home runs and strong pitching by Derek Lowe and Mike Gonzalez.

Heading into the night, the Phillies chances seemed very good with Cliff Lee scheduled as the starting pitcher. Surely, no one expected a blow out. After Chase Utley staked him to a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the 1st inning, Lee held the Braves scoreless until things unraveled in the 4th...in a big way.

Brain McCann and Yunel Escobar bounced singles to start the inning. Long-time Lee nemesis Garrett Anderson followed by driving a ball into the right field stands to give them a 3-1 lead. It didn't stop there, with two outs and a runner on, scorching hot Matt Diaz also dropped one in the right field stands to extend the lead to 5-1. These were the first home runs off Lee since he joined the Phillies.

The Braves later added to their lead with an Escobar home run off Lee in the 5th and a Chipper Jones homer off Chad Durbin in the 6th. Meanwhile, the home team was putting runners on base (11 hits in 7 innings), but could not push them across, twice leaving the bases loaded.

Tonight the Braves send a tough right-hander Jair Jurrjens to the mound against Joe Blanton in the pivotal game. Although they might have difficulty pronouncing his name, the Phillies are very familiar with Jurrjens as he has pitched well against them, going 2-0 with a 0.92 ERA in 3 games. Of course, the historical numbers last night favored the Phillies, but the game did not quite follow suit.

Braves Must Face Lee in Critical Game

The Atlanta Braves go into tonight's game knowing two things. The game is probably their most important game of the season to this point and they face the hottest pitcher in baseball. The adrenaline and Nexium should be flowing tonight.

A victory by the Phillies would assure that the Braves would leave town no better than 8 games behind in the standings, and would give them the opportunity to drive the distance to double digits. Conversely, with a win, the Braves can see some light at the end of the tunnel and possibly narrow the gap to 6 games by series end.

Lee heads to the mound for the sixth time in a Phillies uniform, following a phenomenal 5-0, 0.68 ERA start. The Braves will counter with veteran Derek Lowe, who is 12-8 on the season and can be tough when he is keeping his sinker down, but in the strike zone.

A key for Lee will be keeping hot hitting Matt Diaz in check, who is hitting .615 over the past week and .405 for the month of August. Also, for the season, he has hit lefties at a .392 clip.

The Phillies, of course, have their own red hot hitter in Ryan Howard. He continues to launch balls into the stands, jacking two more last night to give him 11 home runs and 29 RBI over the past 15 games. A contributing factor in his batting streak has been the fact that Jayson Werth has also been swinging a hot bat, making it a lot less feasible for teams to pitch around him.

Expect electricity in the air tonight with Lee on the hill and both teams knowing the stakes. It should be fun. Also, do not forget the bonus entertainment on the field prior to the game: Going Yard at Citizen's Bank Park.