• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Pinch homer by Dobbs gives Phillies wild win

Jul 27, 2008 - 1:49 AM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Phillies may have salvaged their season with an improbable victory.

Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs capped a seven-run fifth inning with a two-out, three-run home run off Blaine Boyer as the Phillies rallied from a six-run deficit to post a wild 10-9 triumph over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday to even the three-game series.

Six relievers combined to keep the Braves scoreless over the final 5 1/3 innings, with Adam Eaton (4-8) picking up the win and Brad Lidge recording his 23rd save in as many opportunities.

"I thought we were gonna win. I just had a feeling," Lidge said.

"We don't give up very easily at all, not in the whole time I've been here," Dobbs said. "There's a lot of fight in this club. Nothing seems insurmountable. Today was a good case of that. If you're gonna go down, go down fighting. We fought hard enough to get back on top."

Losers of three straight and five of six entering the contest, the Phillies were reeling after the Braves sent 12 batters to the plate in a nine-run fourth inning and took what appeared to be a commanding 9-3 lead. Mark Teixeira's three-run homer highlighted the frame.

"I didn't sense (the season slipping away) at all," Dobbs said. "There's something about this club where even as bad as it seems, we can still hold our heads high because we have that confidence in ourselves.

"If we don't have that, we don't come back and score seven. We don't put together an inning like that and then we don't hold it for the rest of the game with our bullpen coming in and holding them scoreless."

It was the second consecutive game in which Atlanta had 12 players come to bat in one inning. On Friday, the Braves scored seven times in the ninth inning in their 8-2 triumph, with five of those runs charged to Lidge.

"You don't want to sit on a bad outing any longer than you have to," said Lidge, who bounced back Saturday. "That's why I was hoping to get back out there today."

In this one, Mike Hampton was unable to take advantage of the run support. The oft-injured lefthander was making his first appearance in the major leagues since August 19, 2005.

Hampton underwent "Tommy John" surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2006 season. He then missed all of 2007 because of a torn flexor in his left elbow, and other assorted injuries delayed his return to the mound this season.

"It's a great feeling to be back," Hampton said. "It is bittersweet. You want to come back and pitch well enough to win. I just didn't do that today. That fifth inning kind of got away from me."

Trailing, 9-3, in the fifth, Philadelphia began the inning by loading the bases with three straight singles that chased Hampton. Royce Ring came on and gave up a two-run base hit by Ryan Howard that cut the deficit to 9-5.

"The situational hitting hadn't been there (lately)," Howard said. "After the way the last couple of games had gone, it would have been real easy to quit. But we were able to chip away."

Boyer (2-6) replaced Ring and allowed a sacrifice fly by Pat Burrell and an RBI single by Chris Coste that pulled the Phillies within two. Coste went 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Dobbs then blasted a 1-2 pitch into the upper deck in right field for his fifth career pinch home run and second this season.

"I just tried to keep the inning going," Dobbs said. "It's one thing to watch the offense start putting up runs, and then to be called upon (to pinch hit) in that situation, you want to do it so badly.

"That's why I had to call timeout before that (home-run) pitch, because you feel that adrenaline going. You've got to try to slow things down as much as you can."

Hampton lasted four-plus innings, allowing six runs and eight hits with two walks and a strikeout.

"Anytime you've got a six-run lead, you feel that you're capable of holding it," Hampton said. "That fifth inning definitely didn't go the way I wanted it to. It kind of snowballed from there. I just let them back in."

The Braves spotted the Phillies a 3-0 lead before battering Cole Hamels in the fourth. They quickly loaded the bases with none out on two walks and a single before Omar Infante lined a two-run double and Jeff Francoeur lifted a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Philadelphia then committed two errors to continue the frame. Second baseman Chase Utley booted Martin Prado's grounder before Mark Kotsay gave the Braves a 4-3 lead with an RBI single.

Hamels then threw a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder by Hampton into center field, allowing Prado to score. Gregor Blanco plated a run with a bunt single and, one out later, Teixeira blasted a three-run homer to make it 9-3 and end Hamels' day.

"I wasn't able to get ahead of hitters," Hamels said. "When I did have guys with two strikes, I wasn't able to get that third strike or produce a ground ball or a flyout."

Hamels went just 3 2/3 innings and was charged with nine runs - four earned - six hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

"I've always prided myself on going out there and being able to go seven strong innings, day in and day out," Hamels said. "I wasn't able to do that today, and I'm proud that the bullpen was able to pick me up."

The Phillies had jumped to a 3-0 lead on a two-run single by Coste in the second inning and a sacrifice fly by Utley in the third.