GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: PHILADELPHIA (42-42) at HOUSTON (37-47)

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: G Dobbs hit for R Madson.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, S VICTORINO ON FIRST, C UTLEY ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 8
HOUSTON 2 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: G Dobbs (.286, 7 HR, 34 RBI)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 0 8 13 2
HOUSTON 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 11 0 (BOT 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: PHI - RYAN MADSON (OUT)
HOU - BRIAN MOEHLER

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: H PENCE (.344, 1-FOR-4)
L BERKMAN (.264, 1-FOR-4)
C LEE (.294, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">PHILADELPHIA (8) VS HOUSTON (2) - MID 9TH - IN PROGRESS

PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 5 1 1 1 0 0 2 .281
M Bourn cf-lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 .267
C Utley 2b 4 2 3 0 1 0 0 .324
R Howard 1b 5 1 2 3 0 2 2 .254
S Victorino rf 3 0 0 0 2 3 1 .276
P Burrell lf 4 2 2 1 0 0 3 .207
R Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-G Dobbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .284
W Helms 3b 4 2 3 2 0 0 1 .266
A Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .309
C Coste c 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .429
C Hamels p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .175
a-A Nunez ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265

Totals 38 8 13 7 3 7 13

a-grounded to second for C Hamels in the 8th; b-grounded to shortstop for R
Madson in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - W Helms (12, C Sampson); C Utley (33, M McLemore). 3B - C Utley
(3, C Sampson). HR - W Helms (3, 5th inning off C Sampson 0 on, 0 Out), J
Rollins (15, 5th inning off C Sampson 0 on, 2 Out), R Howard (20, 8th inning
off M McLemore 1 on, 0 Out), P Burrell (10, 8th inning off M McLemore 0 on, 1
Out). S - C Hamels. RBI - W Helms 2 (22), J Rollins (50), R Howard 3 (62), P
Burrell (34). 2-out RBI - W Helms, J Rollins. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - J Rollins 1, C Coste 1, G Dobbs 1, M Bourn 1. GIDP - P Burrell. Team
LOB - 7.

FIELDING: E - J Rollins (8, ground ball); C Utley (6, ground ball).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Burke 2b 5 0 1 0 0 2 2 .217
H Pence cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .344
L Berkman rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 4 .264
C Lee lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .294
M Loretta 1b 4 1 2 0 0 0 1 .327
M Ensberg 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .208
E Bruntlett ss 4 0 2 0 0 2 1 .303
E Munson c 3 1 2 2 0 1 3 .245
C Sampson p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .174
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-C Biggio ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .258
M McLemore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .273
B Moehler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Totals 36 2 11 2 0 9 18

a-struck out swinging for T Miller in the 7th; b-singled to right for M
Mclemore in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - M Loretta (16, R Madson). HR - E Munson (2, 3rd inning off C
Hamels 0 on, 0 Out). SF - E Munson. RBI - E Munson 2 (7). Runners left in
scoring position, 2 out - E Bruntlett 1, C Lee 1, L Berkman 2, E Munson 1, C
Burke 1. Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Lee (6, 2nd base off C Hamels/C Coste).

FIELDING: PB - E Munson. DP: 1 (M Ensberg-C Burke-M Loretta).


----------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA - 010 021 040 -- 8
HOUSTON - 001 000 01 -- 2
----------------------------------------------------

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
C Hamels 7 8 1 1 0 8 1 3.72
R Madson 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 3.92

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sampson 6 1/3 8 4 4 1 4 2 4.25
T Miller 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.95
M McLemore 1 5 4 4 0 1 2 7.94
B Moehler 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 5.40

WP - M McLemore. Pitches-strikes: C Hamels 115-81; R Madson 30-20; C Sampson
105-73; T Miller 5-4; M McLemore 40-25; B Moehler 19-8. Ground balls-fly balls:
C Hamels 3-10; R Madson 0-2; C Sampson 11-4; T Miller 1-0; M McLemore 1-1; B
Moehler 1-1. Batters faced: C Hamels 31; R Madson 6; C Sampson 27; T Miller 2;
M McLemore 8; B Moehler 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Lance Barksdale. 1B--Gary Cederstrom. 2B--Brian Knight. 3B--Tim
Welke.

Weather: INDOORS.</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - PITCHING CHANGE
PHI: BRIAN SANCHES (1-1, 3.86) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 2

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: H PENCE (.344, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Sanches relieved R Madson.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 8
HOUSTON 2 BOTTOM, 9TH

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: H Pence (.344, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL AT HOUSTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY HUNTER PENCE (11) TO LEFT WITH 0 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF BRIAN SANCHES.
CURRENT SCORE: PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: L BERKMAN (.264, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 0 8 13 2
HOUSTON 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 13 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PHI - COLE HAMELS, RYAN MADSON (8TH), BRIAN SANCHES (9TH) AND CHRIS
COSTE

HOU - CHRIS SAMPSON, TREVER MILLER (7TH), MARK MCLEMORE
(8TH), BRIAN MOEHLER (9TH) AND ERIC MUNSON

HOME RUNS: PHI - WES HELMS (3) OFF CHRIS SAMPSON IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
JIMMY ROLLINS (15) OFF CHRIS SAMPSON IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
RYAN HOWARD (20) OFF MARK MCLEMORE IN THE 8TH, 1 ON
PAT BURRELL (10) OFF MARK MCLEMORE IN THE 8TH, 0 ON

HOU - ERIC MUNSON (2) OFF COLE HAMELS IN THE 3RD, 0 ON
HUNTER PENCE (11) OFF BRIAN SANCHES IN THE 9TH, 0 ON</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">NL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
PHILADELPHIA 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 4 0 8 13 2
HOUSTON 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 13 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: PHI - COLE HAMELS, RYAN MADSON (8TH), BRIAN SANCHES (9TH) AND CHRIS
COSTE

HOU - CHRIS SAMPSON, TREVER MILLER (7TH), MARK MCLEMORE
(8TH), BRIAN MOEHLER (9TH) AND ERIC MUNSON


WP - COLE HAMELS (10-4)
LP - CHRIS SAMPSON (6-6)
SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: PHI - WES HELMS (3) OFF CHRIS SAMPSON IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
JIMMY ROLLINS (15) OFF CHRIS SAMPSON IN THE 5TH, 0 ON
RYAN HOWARD (20) OFF MARK MCLEMORE IN THE 8TH, 1 ON
PAT BURRELL (10) OFF MARK MCLEMORE IN THE 8TH, 0 ON

HOU - ERIC MUNSON (2) OFF COLE HAMELS IN THE 3RD, 0 ON
HUNTER PENCE (11) OFF BRIAN SANCHES IN THE 9TH, 0 ON


TIME: 2:58 ATT: 39,993

PROBABLES: NYM - JOHN MAINE (9-4, 2.74)
HOU - JASON JENNINGS (1-3, 3.69)

PROBABLES: PHI - KYLE KENDRICK (3-0, 4.38)
COL - JEFF FRANCIS (8-5, 3.56)</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">PHILADELPHIA (8) VS HOUSTON (3) - FINAL

PHILADELPHIA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Rollins ss 5 1 1 1 0 0 2 .281
M Bourn cf-lf 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 .267
C Utley 2b 4 2 3 0 1 0 0 .324
R Howard 1b 5 1 2 3 0 2 2 .254
S Victorino rf 3 0 0 0 2 3 1 .276
P Burrell lf 4 2 2 1 0 0 3 .207
R Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-G Dobbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .284
B Sanches p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
W Helms 3b 4 2 3 2 0 0 1 .266
A Rowand cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .309
C Coste c 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .429
C Hamels p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .175
a-A Nunez ph-3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265

Totals 38 8 13 7 3 7 13

a-grounded to second for C Hamels in the 8th; b-grounded to shortstop for R
Madson in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - W Helms (12, C Sampson); C Utley (33, M McLemore). 3B - C Utley
(3, C Sampson). HR - W Helms (3, 5th inning off C Sampson 0 on, 0 Out), J
Rollins (15, 5th inning off C Sampson 0 on, 2 Out), R Howard (20, 8th inning
off M McLemore 1 on, 0 Out), P Burrell (10, 8th inning off M McLemore 0 on, 1
Out). S - C Hamels. RBI - W Helms 2 (22), J Rollins (50), R Howard 3 (62), P
Burrell (34). 2-out RBI - W Helms, J Rollins. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - J Rollins 1, C Coste 1, G Dobbs 1, M Bourn 1. GIDP - P Burrell. Team
LOB - 7.

FIELDING: E - J Rollins (8, ground ball); C Utley (6, ground ball). DP: 1 (A
Nunez-C Utley-R Howard).


HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
C Burke 2b 5 0 1 0 0 2 2 .217
H Pence cf 5 1 2 1 0 1 2 .346
L Berkman rf 5 0 2 0 0 0 4 .266
C Lee lf 5 0 1 0 0 0 3 .293
M Loretta 1b 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 .326
M Ensberg 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .208
E Bruntlett ss 4 0 2 0 0 2 1 .303
E Munson c 3 1 2 2 0 1 3 .245
C Sampson p 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .174
T Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-C Biggio ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .258
M McLemore p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-O Palmeiro ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .273
B Moehler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Totals 40 3 13 3 0 9 19

a-struck out swinging for T Miller in the 7th; b-singled to right for M
Mclemore in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - M Loretta (16, R Madson). HR - E Munson (2, 3rd inning off C
Hamels 0 on, 0 Out), H Pence (11, 9th inning off B Sanches 0 on, 0 Out). SF - E
Munson. RBI - E Munson 2 (7), H Pence (40). Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - E Bruntlett 1, C Lee 1, L Berkman 2, E Munson 1, C Burke 1. GIDP - C Lee.
Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Lee (6, 2nd base off C Hamels/C Coste).

FIELDING: PB - E Munson. DP: 1 (M Ensberg-C Burke-M Loretta).


----------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA - 010 021 040 -- 8
HOUSTON - 001 000 011 -- 3
----------------------------------------------------

PHILADELPHIA ip h r er bb so hr era
C Hamels (W, 10-4) 7 8 1 1 0 8 1 3.72
R Madson 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 3.92
B Sanches 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 4.35

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
C Sampson (L, 6-6) 6 1/3 8 4 4 1 4 2 4.25
T Miller 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.95
M McLemore 1 5 4 4 0 1 2 7.94
B Moehler 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 5.40

WP - M McLemore. Pitches-strikes: C Hamels 115-81; R Madson 30-20; B Sanches
16-11; C Sampson 105-73; T Miller 5-4; M McLemore 40-25; B Moehler 19-8. Ground
balls-fly balls: C Hamels 3-10; R Madson 0-2; B Sanches 3-0; C Sampson 11-4; T
Miller 1-0; M McLemore 1-1; B Moehler 1-1. Batters faced: C Hamels 31; R Madson
6; B Sanches 4; C Sampson 27; T Miller 2; M McLemore 8; B Moehler 5.

UMPIRES: HP--Lance Barksdale. 1B--Gary Cederstrom. 2B--Brian Knight. 3B--Tim
Welke.

T--2:58. Att--39,993.
Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NL
PHILADELPHIA 8
HOUSTON 3 FINAL</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHILADELPHIA (8) AT HOUSTON (3) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PHILADELPHIA 2ND: R Howard grounded out to second. S Victorino struck out
swinging. P Burrell singled to center. W Helms doubled to deep center,
P Burrell scored. C Coste flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 3RD: E Munson homered to left. C Sampson struck out swinging.
C Burke flied out to center. H Pence safe at first on error by shortstop
J Rollins. L Berkman flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 5TH: W Helms homered to left. C Coste flied out to center.
C Hamels grounded out to second. J Rollins homered to right. M Bourn grounded
out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 3, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 6TH: C Utley tripled to center. R Howard singled to right
center, C Utley scored. S Victorino struck out looking. P Burrell lined out
to shortstop. W Helms grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 4, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 8TH: M McLemore relieved T Miller. C Utley doubled to deep
right center. C Utley to third on passed ball by E Munson. R Howard homered to
right, C Utley scored. S Victorino struck out swinging. P Burrell homered to
left. W Helms singled to left. C Coste singled to right, W Helms to third.
A Nunez hit for C Hamels. W Helms scored, C Coste to second on wild pitch by
M McLemore. A Nunez grounded out to second, C Coste to third. J Rollins flied
out to left. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 8TH: M Bourn in left field. R Madson relieved C Hamels. A Rowand in
center field. A Nunez at third base. M Loretta doubled to left. M Ensberg
flied out to center. E Bruntlett singled to right, M Loretta to third.
E Munson hit sacrifice fly to center, M Loretta scored. O Palmeiro hit for
M McLemore. O Palmeiro singled to right, E Bruntlett to second. C Burke struck
out swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 9TH: B Sanches relieved R Madson. H Pence homered to left.
L Berkman singled to center. C Lee grounded into double play, third to second
to first, L Berkman out at second. M Loretta grounded out to third. (1 Run,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3.</div>

 

NL: PHILADELPHIA at HOUSTON

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHILADELPHIA (8) AT HOUSTON (3) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Philadelphia Starting Lineups -- J Rollins SS, M Bourn CF, C Utley 2B, R Howard 1B,
S Victorino RF, P Burrell LF, W Helms 3B, C Coste C, C Hamels LHP.

Houston Starting Lineups -- C Burke 2B, H Pence CF, L Berkman RF, C Lee LF,
M Loretta 1B, M Ensberg 3B, E Bruntlett SS, E Munson C, C Sampson RHP.

Umpires -- Lance Barksdale (HP), Gary Cederstrom (1B), Brian Knight (2B),
Tim Welke (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


PHILADELPHIA 1ST: J Rollins flied out to center. M Bourn struck out
swinging. C Utley grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 0, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 1ST: C Burke fouled out to right. H Pence struck out swinging.
L Berkman grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 0,
HOUSTON 0.

PHILADELPHIA 2ND: R Howard grounded out to second. S Victorino struck out
swinging. P Burrell singled to center. W Helms doubled to deep center,
P Burrell scored. C Coste flied out to right. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 2ND: C Lee reached on infield single to third. M Loretta popped
out to first. C Lee stole second. M Ensberg popped out to second, C Lee to
third. E Bruntlett struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 0.

PHILADELPHIA 3RD: C Hamels grounded out to first. J Rollins grounded out
to second. M Bourn grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 0.

HOUSTON 3RD: E Munson homered to left. C Sampson struck out swinging.
C Burke flied out to center. H Pence safe at first on error by shortstop
J Rollins. L Berkman flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Error)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 4TH: C Utley singled to center. R Howard struck out swinging.
S Victorino walked, C Utley to second. P Burrell grounded into double play,
third to second to first, S Victorino out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 4TH: C Lee grounded out to shortstop. M Loretta grounded out to
pitcher. M Ensberg popped out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 1, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 5TH: W Helms homered to left. C Coste flied out to center.
C Hamels grounded out to second. J Rollins homered to right. M Bourn grounded
out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 3, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 5TH: E Bruntlett struck out looking. E Munson singled to center.
C Sampson bunt popped out to first. C Burke singled to center, E Munson to
second. H Pence safe at first on error by second baseman C Utley, E Munson to
third, C Burke to second. L Berkman fouled out to catcher. (0 Runs, 2 Hits,
1 Error) PHILADELPHIA 3, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 6TH: C Utley tripled to center. R Howard singled to right
center, C Utley scored. S Victorino struck out looking. P Burrell lined out
to shortstop. W Helms grounded out to pitcher. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 4, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 6TH: C Lee flied out to right. M Loretta singled to right.
M Ensberg struck out swinging. E Bruntlett singled to left, M Loretta to
second. E Munson struck out looking. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
PHILADELPHIA 4, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 7TH: C Coste singled to left. C Hamels sacrificed to pitcher,
C Coste to second. T Miller relieved C Sampson. J Rollins grounded out to
third. M Bourn struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 4,
HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 7TH: C Biggio hit for T Miller. C Biggio struck out swinging.
C Burke struck out swinging. H Pence singled to left. L Berkman reached
on infield single to second, H Pence to second. C Lee flied out to right.
(0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 4, HOUSTON 1.

PHILADELPHIA 8TH: M McLemore relieved T Miller. C Utley doubled to deep
right center. C Utley to third on passed ball by E Munson. R Howard homered to
right, C Utley scored. S Victorino struck out swinging. P Burrell homered to
left. W Helms singled to left. C Coste singled to right, W Helms to third.
A Nunez hit for C Hamels. W Helms scored, C Coste to second on wild pitch by
M McLemore. A Nunez grounded out to second, C Coste to third. J Rollins flied
out to left. (4 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 1.

HOUSTON 8TH: M Bourn in left field. R Madson relieved C Hamels. A Rowand in
center field. A Nunez at third base. M Loretta doubled to left. M Ensberg
flied out to center. E Bruntlett singled to right, M Loretta to third.
E Munson hit sacrifice fly to center, M Loretta scored. O Palmeiro hit for
M McLemore. O Palmeiro singled to right, E Bruntlett to second. C Burke struck
out swinging. (1 Run, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 2.

PHILADELPHIA 9TH: B Moehler relieved M McLemore. M Bourn flied out to
right. C Utley walked. R Howard struck out swinging. S Victorino walked,
C Utley to second. G Dobbs hit for R Madson. G Dobbs grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 2.

HOUSTON 9TH: B Sanches relieved R Madson. H Pence homered to left.
L Berkman singled to center. C Lee grounded into double play, third to second
to first, L Berkman out at second. M Loretta grounded out to third. (1 Run,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3.</div>

 

Phillies bounce back behind Hamels

<h3>PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3</h3>HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Cole Hamels made sure the PhiladelphiaPhillies didn't have another win taken away from them.

Hamels worked eight strong innings and Chase Utley enjoyed ahuge day at the plate as the Phillies salvaged the finale ofa three-game series against the Houston Astros with an 8-3victory on Wednesday.

Philadelphia should have won Tuesday's game when Carlos Leegrounded into what appeared to be a game-ending double play inthe ninth inning. But taking advantage of the call to tie thegame, the Astros eventually went on to win in the 13th inning onrookie Hunter Pence's homer run.

Needing a big effort from Hamels (10-4) is exactly what thePhillies received from their All-Star lefthander.Hamels scattered eight hits, baffling the Astros with a dominantchangeup throughout the game. The lefthader struck out eightwithout a walk.

The only run Hamels gave up came on Eric Munson's second homerin the third inning.

Utley, an All-Star, and Wes Helms finished with three hits each.Utley was just a homer shy of his first career cycle.

Helms, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell all homered inthe hitter-friendly park.

Rookie Chris Sampson (6-6) took the loss, his first at homesince May 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The righthanderallowed four runs and eight hits, striking out four and walkingone.

The Phillies got the scoring started in the second inning whenwhen Helms hit a double on the fourth pitch he saw from Sampson,scoring Burrell, who hit a two out single to start the rally.

But the Astros tied the game in the fourth when Munson homeredto the opposite field off Hamels.

The Phillies scored twice in the fifth inning to take the leadfor good when Helms started the inning with his third homer ofthe season. Two outs later, Jimmy Rollins lined a 2-1 offeringfrom Sampson into the right field stands for a 3-1 lead.

Utley led off the sixth with a triple off the wall in right andlater scored on a single by Howard to make it 4-1.

Howard hit his 20th homer in the eight with Utley aboard, andBurrell followed with his 10th, a solo shot, to round outPhiladelphia's scoring.

Ryan Madson relieved Hamels and allowed a run on a sacrifice flyby Munson in the eighth inning.

Brian Sanches pitched the ninth, giving up Pence's 14th homer ofthe season.

 

Phillies bounce back behind Hamels

<h3>PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3</h3>HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Cole Hamels made sure the PhiladelphiaPhillies didn't have another win taken away from them.

Hamels worked eight strong innings and Chase Utley enjoyed ahuge day at the plate as the Phillies salvaged the finale of athree-game series against the Houston Astros with an 8-3 victoryon Wednesday.

Philadelphia should have won Tuesday's game when Carlos Leegrounded into what appeared to be a game-ending double play inthe ninth inning. But taking advantage of a safe call to tiethe game, the Astros eventually won in the 13th inning on rookieHunter Pence's homer run.

The Phillies needed a big effort from Hamels (10-4) and that isexactly what they received from their All-Star lefthander.Hamels scattered eight hits, baffling the Astros with a dominantchangeup throughout the game. He struck out eight without awalk.

"It has been a constant battle for much of the last month andtoday was just about taking some of the pressure off andrelaxing," Hamels said. "When I just go out there and bemyself, I usually do a good job of putting the team in a winningsituation.

"That makes the game a little bit more fun. It was a lot easiertoday and I am really glad that we were able to get out of herewith a win."

The only run Hamels gave up came on Eric Munson's second homerin the third inning.

"Hamels was good today, but I have seen him better," Philliesmanager Charlie Manuel said. "He really pounded his fastballtoday and he did that even when he was getting hit at times.Today, I think he got some stuff off his chest. He was goodtoday, but I have seen him dominate."

Utley, an All-Star, and Wes Helms finished with three hits each.Utley was just a homer shy of his first career cycle.

"We all just came out today and battled," Utley said. "This isa pretty good rebounding team and we needed to do that after theway we lost last night. We knew we could go out there and turnthings around with our horse on the mound and we did that."

Helms, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell all homered inthe hitter-friendly park.

Rookie Chris Sampson (6-6) took the loss, his first at homesince May 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The righthanderallowed four runs and eight hits, striking out four and walkingone.

"Those balls (the homers) caught a little too much of theplate," Sampson said. "That's not exactly what I wanted to do.The Phillies have really good hitters and when you get toomuch of the plate, that is what they do to you."

The Phillies got the scoring started in the second inning whenwhen Helms hit a double on the fourth pitch he saw from Sampson,scoring Burrell, who hit a two-out single to start the rally.

But the Astros tied the game in the fourth when Munson homeredto the opposite field off Hamels.

The Phillies scored twice in the fifth inning to take the leadfor good. Helms started the inning with his third homer of theseason. Two outs later, Rollins lined a 2-1 offering fromSampson into the right field stands for a 3-1 lead.

Utley led off the sixth with a triple off the wall in right andscored on a single by Howard to make it 4-1.

Howard hit his 20th homer in the eight with Utley aboard, andBurrell followed with his 10th, a solo shot, to round outPhiladelphia's scoring.

Ryan Madson relieved Hamels and allowed a run on a sacrifice flyby Munson in the eighth inning.

Brian Sanches pitched the ninth, giving up Pence's 14th homer ofthe season.

"(Hamel is) an All-Star for a reason," Astros manager PhilGarner said. "He is pretty tough. He buckled down today on us.If you can throw a good changeup when you get deep in thecount, you are going to be successful. And that is exactly whatthat guy did."

 

Phillies bounce back behind Hamels

<h3>PHILADELPHIA 8, HOUSTON 3</h3>HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Cole Hamels made sure the PhiladelphiaPhillies didn't have another win taken away from them.

Hamels worked eight strong innings and Chase Utley enjoyed ahuge day at the plate as the Phillies salvaged the finale of athree-game series against the Houston Astros with an 8-3 victoryon Wednesday.

Philadelphia should have won Tuesday's game when Carlos Leegrounded into what appeared to be a game-ending double play inthe ninth inning. But taking advantage of a safe call to tiethe game, the Astros eventually won in the 13th inning on rookieHunter Pence's homer run.

The Phillies needed a big effort from Hamels (10-4) and that isexactly what they received from their All-Star lefthander.Hamels scattered eight hits, baffling the Astros with a dominantchangeup throughout the game. He struck out eight without awalk.

"It has been a constant battle for much of the last month andtoday was just about taking some of the pressure off andrelaxing," Hamels said. "When I just go out there and bemyself, I usually do a good job of putting the team in a winningsituation.

"That makes the game a little bit more fun. It was a lot easiertoday and I am really glad that we were able to get out of herewith a win."

The only run Hamels gave up came on Eric Munson's second homerin the third inning.

"Hamels was good today, but I have seen him better," Philliesmanager Charlie Manuel said. "He really pounded his fastballtoday and he did that even when he was getting hit at times.Today, I think he got some stuff off his chest. He was goodtoday, but I have seen him dominate."

Utley, an All-Star, and Wes Helms finished with three hits each.Utley was just a homer shy of his first career cycle.

"We all just came out today and battled," Utley said. "This isa pretty good rebounding team and we needed to do that after theway we lost last night. We knew we could go out there and turnthings around with our horse on the mound and we did that."

Helms, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell all homered inthe hitter-friendly park.

Rookie Chris Sampson (6-6) took the loss, his first at homesince May 11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The righthanderallowed four runs and eight hits, striking out four and walkingone.

"Those balls (the homers) caught a little too much of theplate," Sampson said. "That's not exactly what I wanted to do.The Phillies have really good hitters and when you get toomuch of the plate, that is what they do to you."

The Phillies got the scoring started in the second inning whenwhen Helms hit a double on the fourth pitch he saw from Sampson,scoring Burrell, who hit a two-out single to start the rally.

But the Astros tied the game in the fourth when Munson homeredto the opposite field off Hamels.

The Phillies scored twice in the fifth inning to take the leadfor good. Helms started the inning with his third homer of theseason. Two outs later, Rollins lined a 2-1 offering fromSampson into the right field stands for a 3-1 lead.

Utley led off the sixth with a triple off the wall in right andscored on a single by Howard to make it 4-1.

Howard hit his 20th homer in the eight with Utley aboard, andBurrell followed with his 10th, a solo shot, to round outPhiladelphia's scoring.

Ryan Madson relieved Hamels and allowed a run on a sacrifice flyby Munson in the eighth inning.

Brian Sanches pitched the ninth, giving up Pence's 11th homer ofthe season.

"(Hamel is) an All-Star for a reason," Astros manager PhilGarner said. "He is pretty tough. He buckled down today on us.If you can throw a good changeup when you get deep in thecount, you are going to be successful. And that is exactly whatthat guy did."