Everybody Hits! Phillies Pound Braves 14-1

The Phillies pounded the Braves for 20 hits and a season high tying 14 runs as they took the rubber game of their series and head into the All Star Break with a 3.5 game lead in the NL East. Starter Cole Hamels matched the Phillies offensive explosion with a stellar performance himself tossing eight innings of of 3-hit, one run ball en route to his 11th win of the season.

Hamels would end up retiring the last 12 batters he faced. Kyle Kendrick pitched the ninth as the Phillies finished the first half in style.

As good as the pitching was, the explosion of the Phillies offense is the real story. Every Phillies starter had at least one hit, John Mayberry Jr set career highs with four RBI and three hits, as did Domonic Brown (3 hits), while Raul Ibanez equaled a career high with 6 RBI of his own, including his 12th HR of the year.

Ibanez also dazzled with the glove, robbing Nate McLouth of a HR with a leaping grab over the left field wall.

Michael Martinez was also stellar in the field and was 4-4 at the plate today, raising his season average from .192 to .229.

After the game, Phils skipper Charlie Manuel said what many us were thinking, "I didn’t want the day to end really, if you want to know the truth." Unfortunately, real life is not like a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

There really couldn’t be a more perfect end to the first half of the season. Great starting pitching performance, offensive explosion and best of all, it was against the Braves. The Phils now finish the first half with a 3.5 game lead in the NL East and the best record in baseball at 57-34.

The Phillies and Braves will settle their final series before the All Star break in a matinee this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. All Star Cole Hamels will take the hill against Derek Lowe as the Phils look for the series win.

If the last two games are any indication, this should be yet another tight game. The two teams have split the first two games of the series, both which went to extra innings. The excellent starting pitching for both sides has pretty much canceled each other out and it’s been the bullpens have made the difference. With Hamels and Lowe on the mound, that could certainly be the case again this afternoon.

Hamels has been on a tear this season and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in ten straight outings. He’s 10-4 with a 2.40 ERA, including a 1-1 record in three starts vs the Braves.

Derek Lowe has not been nearly as strong this year, but has started to come into form in recent weeks. The 38 year old has pitched to a 4.21 ERA this season, but will look for his third straight win today. Plus, he did throw six innings of shut out ball against the Phils back in May.

First pitch is at 1:05 this afternoon.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Alex Gonzalez hit a go-ahead RBI single in the 11th inning and Brian McCann followed with a two-run homer, lifting the Braves to a 4-1 win over the Phillies on Saturday.

Atlanta evened the three-game series at one win apiece and pulled back within 2 1/2 games of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East.

The game was tied 1-1 after nine innings following a duel between starters Tommy Hanson and Cliff Lee.

Lee threw eight strong innings and belted his first career home run after a 10-pitch at-bat in the third inning for Philadelphia’s only run.

Hanson tossed seven innings for Atlanta, which came back from losing Friday’s series opener on Raul Ibanez’s walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th.

Antonio Bastardo relieved Lee and struck out two Braves in the ninth while Juan Perez, who struck out the side for his first MLB win Friday night, fanned two in the 10th inning of this one.

But the Braves jumped on Michael Stutes (3-1), handing the rookie right-hander his first MLB loss.

Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske walked, and pinch-runner Wilkin Ramirez moved up on Jordan Schafer’s sacrifice bunt. Gonzalez singled to center field to make it 2-1 and McCann launched the eighth pitch of his at-bat, a breaking ball, into the right field seats for his 15th homer of the season.

The runs made a winner out of George Sherrill (2-1), who had escaped a bases- loaded jam in the 10th. Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect 11th to earn his 28th save, extending his record for rookies before the All-Star break.

Lee, who hasn’t earned a win this month after going 5-0 in June, struck out nine batters and allowed three hits and two walks before Bastardo took over for a perfect ninth.

The only extra-base hit given up by Lee was Dan Uggla’s first-pitch homer in the fifth inning, which tied the game at 1-1 for the Braves.

Two innings earlier, Lee fouled off six balls — including five in a row at one point — before knocking Hanson’s 10th pitch over the wall in right-center for his first career home run.

It was the first homer by a Phillies pitcher since Chan Ho Park’s solo blast on April 25, 2009, at Florida.

Hanson gave up just four hits while striking out six and walking one. He carried a five-start winning streak into the game.

After two sparkling outings by the starters, the bullpens took over and continued the pitchers’ duel.

Jonny Venters replaced Hanson and threw a perfect eighth for Atlanta and Eric O’Flaherty tossed a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Phillies loaded the bases against Sherrill in the 10th after the reliever had retired the first two batters. Wilson Valdez and pinch-hitter Michael Martinez both singled, while Jimmy Rollins walked before John Mayberry grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Phillies, who fell to 8-4 in their last 12 games, had just six hits in the game. Lee’s homer and Mayberry’s double in the sixth were the only ones that went for extra bases.

The Braves had just five hits, but improved to 15-4 in their last 19.

The Braves put third baseman Chipper Jones on the 15-day disabled list because of a meniscus tear in his right knee and said he had successful arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage. Jones, who went 2-for-4 in Friday’s game is expected to return in 2-3 weeks…Hanson hasn’t lost since May 27.

(Sports Network) – The Braves and Phillies feature rosters that have a combined four starting pitchers headed to the All-Star Game, but Atlanta hurler Tommy Hanson is not one of them.

One of the more notable snubs, the righty will look to prove his doubters wrong again today with a career-best sixth straight winning start as Atlanta tries to even its three-game series with Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.

Hanson is a solid 10-4 with a 2.52 earned run average in 16 starts this season and hasn’t lost since May 27. He has given up only six runs over his personal winning streak while going at least six innings in every outing. Hanson posted three straight road victories before besting the Rockies in Atlanta on Monday after holding them to a run on four hits over seven innings with six strikeouts.

Showing maturity beyond his 24 years of age, Hanson smiled as he said being a 10-game winner felt the “same as being a nine-game winner.”

“I was just happy with how I threw the ball. Our game plan worked out,” he said.

Hanson now heads back out onto the road, where he has won five straight starts since his last defeat at Milwaukee on April 7. He has given up just one run over eight career innings at Citizens Bank Park, but has only an 0-1 record to show for it.

Hanson has faced the Phillies six total times in his career, going 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA while striking out 27 over 29 1/3 innings. He faces them for the first time this season.

Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee will be going to Arizona as a member of the National League All-Star club thanks to an incredible June, but he hardly looked like one of the game’s elites on Sunday in Toronto.

Lee won all five of his starts a month ago, allowing one earned run in 42 innings for a 0.21 ERA and carrying a string of three straight shutouts into his last start. His career-best scoreless-innings streak eventually ended at 34 innings and the 32-year-old took the loss after giving up three homers in the eighth inning to squander a lead. Lee was charged with seven runs — six earned — over 7 1/3 innings overall.

“They were able to chip away a few runs throughout the game and they had a big eighth inning. I felt like I made decent pitches. Sometimes they hit good pitches too,” said Lee, who fell to 9-6 with a 2.92 ERA in 18 starts this season.

While Hanson has been outstanding on the road, Lee has been on quite a roll at home, where he hasn’t lost since May 6 and has captured six straight starts. However, that last defeat came to the Braves, who got to him for three runs over seven innings of a 5-0 decision despite striking out 16 times against the southpaw.

Lee’s efforts were better than when he faced the club in Atlanta on April 8 as he lasted just 3 1/3 innings while yielding six runs. His two losses to the Braves this year have dropped his career mark against them to 1-3 with a 6.15 ERA in five starts.

Lee will be looking to extend Philadelphia’s lead over Atlanta for first place in the NL East, which stands at 3 1/2 games after the Phillies took last night’s opener, 3-2, in 10 innings.

It was a long night for both clubs as the start of the game was delayed nearly two hours due to rain and finally ended when Raul Ibanez took a Scott Proctor offering deep into the right-field sets for the Phils’ seventh victory in 10 games.

“It’s definitely a good feeling. You don’t try to do that, try to do too much in that situation. But you do try to get a good pitch to hit and drive it,” Ibanez said about his approach at the plate. “When that happens, there’s no better feeling as a player.”

Carlos Ruiz added a solo homer, but it was the bullpen that stole the show following a solid outing from Roy Halladay. Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Juan Perez combined to hold the Braves off the basepaths over the final three innings, with Perez striking out the side in the 10th inning on just nine pitches.

Perez is the first Phils hurler to accomplish that feat since Andy Ashby in 1991 and netted his first major-league victory as a result.

“Their bullpen was really, really good,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. “They gave them a chance to do what they did … bring the big boys up late in the game.”

Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla each recorded an RBI single for the Braves, whose four-game win streak came to a halt with just the club’s fourth setback in 18 games.

These two rivals have split 10 meetings so far this year, with the Phillies taking three of four in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Raul Ibanez hit the game-winning home run with one down in the bottom of the 10th, sending Philadelphia past Atlanta, 3-2, in the opener of a crucial three-game series.

After Ryan Howard was retired on a liner to Braves center fielder Jordan Schafer, Ibanez uncorked a 2-0 pitch from Scott Proctor (1-3) deep into the right-field seats.

“It’s definitely a good feeling. You don’t try to do that, try to do too much in that situation. But you do try to get a good pitch to hit and drive it,” Ibanez said about his approach at the plate. “When that happens, there’s no better feeling as a player.”

Juan Perez (1-0) struck out the side in the top of the 10th on nine pitches to claim his first major-league victory. He became the first Phils hurler to accomplish the feat since Andy Ashby in 1991.

Carlos Ruiz hit a solo homer and Wilson Valdez knocked in the other run for the Phillies, who opened up a 3 1/2 game lead over Atlanta in the NL East with their seventh win in 10 outings.

The victory was the 600th in Philadelphia for Charlie Manuel, as he became just the third man to reach the plateau. Only Gene Mauch (646, 1960-68) and Harry Wright (636, 1884-1893) have more wins in club history.

Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla each recorded an RBI single for the Braves, whose four-game win streak came to a halt.

Philly starter Roy Halladay and Atlanta hurler Brandon Beachy shook off a rain delay which pushed back the start of the game by almost two hours. The former lasted seven innings, allowing six hits and two runs with seven strikeouts, while the latter worked six full frames and yielded eight hits and two runs while fanning six.

Atlanta picked up a run in the second as Chipper Jones singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a Freeman base hit. Philly responded in the home half as Ibanez singled, advanced on a balk, went to third on a base hit by Ruiz and scored on a Valdez sacrifice fly.

Brian McCann singled to start the fourth and came in on a one-out base hit from Uggla, then Ruiz hit a one-out solo shot in the home half to even the score at 2-2.

The Braves stranded a runner on third in the seventh, as Halladay completed his performance by inducing a flyout from pinch-hitter Eric Hinske. The Phils had runners on first and second with one out in the eighth, but couldn’t produce a run against Jonny Venters.

“Their bullpen was really really good,” said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. “They gave them a chance to do what they did…bring the big boys up late in the game.”

For Ibanez, it was his sixth career walk-off home run…Philadelphia improved to 4-5 in extra-inning games, and Atlanta fell to 9-8…Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Perez combined to hold the Braves off the basepaths over the final three innings…Prior to the game, the Phillies placed outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb and recalled infielder Pete Orr from Triple-A Lehigh Valley…Victorino had been one of the two fan selections to the All-Star Game next Tuesday, but he will not play in the game.