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Phillies blow past Brewers, close within one in wild card race

Sep 14, 2008 - 10:14 PM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Milwaukee Brewers ended up outsmarting themselves, and it cost them another game.

Pat Burrell snapped an eighth-inning tie with an RBI single and Shane Victorino followed with a three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Brewers, 7-3, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday.

Ryan Howard hit his 44th homer of the season for the Phillies (82-67), who moved within a game of the Brewers (83-66) for the National League wild card.

The score was tied 3-3 in the eighth when Jayson Werth led off with a single off Guillermo Mota (5-6). Lefthander Brian Shouse was brought in to face lefthanded hitters Chase Utley and Howard.

Utley surprised the Brewers with his first sacrifice of the season that advanced Werth to second, and Milwaukee decided to walk Howard intentionally.

Surprisingly, Brewers manager Ned Yost left Shouse in to face the righthanded Burrell, who then delivered a single through the left side that plated Werth to put the Phillies in front, 4-3.

"You've got to go against the grain sometimes," Burrell said. "I don't know if that's what (Yost's) decision was. It's none of my business. All a player can control is going out there and trying to have a good at-bat."

Yost explained his decision to walk Howard intentionally and let Shouse face Burrell.

"It was more based on Brian Shouse and his ground-ball ability," Yost said. "Ryan Howard has shown us over the last three games that he is about as hot as he can be, even though you had the man that you brought in there to face him.

Shouse agreed with Yost.

"Got the ground ball. It just wasn't at somebody," Shouse said. "Teams just go through this. Unfortunately, we're going through it right now. We keep thinking we're gonna snap out of it and put together several wins. Right now, we've got to find a way to get a victory.

Victorino provided Philadelphia with some insurance when he hit a 1-0 offering from Shouse into the left-center field seats for his 12th homer, a three-run shot that gave Philadelphia a four-run cushion.

"It was a fastball," Victorino said. "I was trying to get a pitch up with Shouse, who's has been lights out all year long. He's tough when he keeps the ball down. Fortunately enough for me, I got a pitch up I was able to hit."

The reeling Brewers have now dropped six of their last seven contests.

Milwaukee jumped on righthander Joe Blanton in the first inning, when Corey Hart led off with a triple to left-center. One out later, Ray Durham lofted a 2-2 pitch that just cleared the fence in right-center field for a two-run home run to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Philadelphia threatened in the fourth against Dave Bush by putting runners on first and third with one out, but managed only one run on Burrell's double play grounder.

The Brewers got that run back in the fifth when Mike Cameron blasted Blanton's first pitch of the frame into the second deck in left for his 25th home run of the season.

The Phillies eventually tied the game in the sixth after Bush hit Utley with a pitch and Howard followed with a two-run, opposite field homer to left.

Blanton went seven innings and gave up three runs and five hits.

"I thought he pitched good," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He took us to a good place in the game and gave us a chance to win."

Bush tossed six frames and also surrendered three runs on five hits.