Final
Surging Phillies continue set with Dodgers
Aug 9, 2011 - 2:39 PM (Sports Network) - A stretch of 20 consecutive games could take a lot of energy out of some teams. Just don't tell that to the Philadelphia Phillies.Tonight's game in Los Angeles will be the 19th straight for the Phillies in that span without a day off. The NL East-leading Phillies are 14-4 so far on the lengthy run and handed the Dodgers a 5-3 loss in Monday's opener of a three-game series at Chavez Ravine.
Ace Roy Halladay became the first 15-game winner in the National League, tossing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and two walks. Four relievers took over from there and Ryan Madson resumed his closer's role by pitching a scoreless ninth inning for his 20th save.
"We've been really good," Madson said after the win. "Tomorrow we're going to go out there with the same kind of confidence we had today. That's been the thing. We've just been really confident in what we're doing."
Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard had two RBI apiece, while Shane Victorino finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored for Philadelphia, which rebounded from Sunday's 3-1 loss in San Francisco to win for the 16th time in 20 tries. Victorino appealed his three-game suspension for his role in Friday's bench-clearing brawl with the Giants. Third baseman Placido Polanco underwent an MRI exam on Monday and has been diagnosed with a chronic sports hernia. He is expected to take an anti-inflammatory injection on Tuesday and be reevaluated on Friday.
The Phillies are 8 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the division standings and 7-1 on a 10-game road trip.
Philadelphia has won a season-best seven straight series on the road (17-6) and hasn't lost an away set since June 17-19 at Seattle. It is also 19-8 against teams from the NL West. Cliff Lee will look to make it 20 victories when he toes the rubber tonight for the Phillies in search of his 12th victory of the season. Lee posted his fifth shutout of the season in Thursday's 3-0 win at San Francisco by allowing seven hits with eight K's and no walks.
Lee won his second straight start after going 0-2 in his previous four outings, and is 11-7 this season in 23 starts with a 2.96 ERA. The crafty left-hander defeated Los Angeles back on June 6 in south Philly with seven shutout innings and 10 strikeouts in a 3-1 verdict. He is 1-0 with a 0.63 ERA in two career starts against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles suffered its third straight loss at home and didn't get much out of starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. The Japanese hurler was reached for four runs -- three earned -- and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings to absorb the loss.
Aaron Miles and Casey Blake both had two hits and an RBI for the Dodgers, who had won four of five games prior to their current two-game slide. Matt Kemp had two hits and a run scored and has reached base safely in 16 straight games. Andre Ethier had a 37-game run from April 2-May 14. Shortstop Dee Gordon returned to action Monday after injuring his right shoulder during Saturday's 5-3 win at Arizona. He did not play in Sunday's 4-3 loss.
"I think we gave ourselves a chance," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We got some big hits, but just couldn't get the runs."
Mattingly's club has still won nine of its last 14 games at home and is 9-6 in the past 15 contests overall. Ted Lilly will try to make it 10 wins in both categories when he takes the ball Tuesday for the Dodgers. He is only 2-6 in his past eight decisions and was beaten by San Diego on the road his last time out in a 3-0 loss on Wednesday. Lilly struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball, falling to 7-11 in 23 starts this season with a 4.86 ERA.
Lilly opposed Lee in that June loss at Citizens Bank Park and allowed two runs over six innings of work. The lefty is just 1-5 with a 5.49 ERA in seven career starts against the Phillies and 5-6 in 12 home assignments for the Dodgers, who started a six-game residency last night versus the Phillies and Astros.
Philadelphia won two of three games versus the Dodgers in early June and owns a 7-2 mark in the last nine matchups between the two ballclubs. The Phillies have outscored the Dodgers, 98-73, in the last 21 encounters.
- PHILADELPHIA: 2
LOS ANGELES: 1
Final
Aug 10 1:04 AM - Cliff Lee one-out, solo Home Run (2) to right. Jimmy Rollins due up.
Phillies 2, Dodgers 0 Top 7, 1 OutAug 10 12:53 AM - Jimmy Rollins doubled to right scored Wilson Valdez. Runner on second with one out and Shane Victorino due up.
Phillies 1, Dodgers 0 Top 3, 1 OutAug 9 10:55 PM - PHILADELPHIA: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Aug 9 10:11 PM
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