Liveblogging: Mets @ Phillies - 5/9/2006

Not to be overly dramatic, but the upcoming series with the Mets is the biggest series of the year for the Phillies, and it will probably be quite some time before the Phillies have one that's more important.  The Phils are four games back, and a series win would tighten the race, while a series loss would create a sizable deficit in the win column.

Tonight, I'll be chronicling the action live...

7:06 - Mad Myers gets two quick strikes on Jose Reyes to start the game, and on the third pitch hits what looks to be an easy out grounder.  I forgot about Reyes' speed, and while he is still called out on J-Roll's throw, it was close.

7:12 - Mad Myers gets a 1-2-3 inning from the Mets, and Petunia Picking Pedro takes the mound against J-Roll, striking him out and looking darn good doing it.  Apparently he wanted no part of Chase Clutchly however, walking him on four pitches.

7:17 - On a 2-0 pitch to Bobby Abreu, Bobby swings and misses.  Harry the K and LA can't figure out what the heck it was.  My guess is on the radio, Chris Wheeler is asking if it was a split.  Abreu walks, but Pat Burrell flies out and Ryan Howard strikes out.

7:30 - Mad Myers goes 1-2-3 in the second inning too.  There was a great shot of Phillies catcher Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz kneeling behind the dish and stealing glances at Floyd, checking out his position in the box as Ruiz put down signs for Myers.  Not that that is significant, just a fun little "inside the game" moment.

7:34 - Bottom of the second, Aaron Rowand leads off with a triple [are you surprised?  I'm not] and David Bell doubles to left-center and drives him in.  The chants start...Peeeeedro, Peeeeedro...Phils 1, Mets 0.

7:36 - Chooch gets his first big league hit off of Pedro Martinez.  Good for you Chooch.

7:40 - Still in the bottom of the second, Jimmy Rollins hangs in against Pedro and on a 2-2 breaking ball hits a seeing eye single.  It plates Bell and Chooch.  Phils 3, Mets 0.

7:47 - For those of you scoring at home, according to the win expectancy finder at Walk Off Balk, the Phillies, through two innings have a 87% chance of winning the ball game.  Of course, that is the average outcome over the history of baseball...Pedro Martinez is not an average pitcher and the Mets do not have an average lineup.

7:56 - If one were to try and put the top of the third inning into a win expectancy finder, the thing would blow up, melt my laptop.  The inning featured a bunt single by Pedro Martinez that really got in the head of Mad Myers, a fly to shallow left field that Pat Burrell was this close to catching but still managed to throw out Pedro at second, and the inning ends with a fake pickoff throw by Myers to third but instead throwing out Jose Reyes at second [scoring 1-3-6].  Sorry if that was a run on sentence, but that is very analogous to the inning.  Still 3-0 Phils.

8:08 - Another 1-2-3 inning for Mad Myers.  Despite the 3-0 score in the mid-fourth, this game has the makings of a pitchers duel.

8:14 - And now a 1-2-3 inning for Pedro.  The final K was Brett Myers, who swung so hard at three pitches that he nearly came out of his shoes.  I hope he didn't fatigue himself for the top of the fifth.

8:27 - What we have here, is a 3-0 pitchers duel.

8:31 - Wheels and Scott Graham spend 4 minutes conjugating "yo".

8:34 - Through six innings, Myers has faced 19 batters.  With the Phillies coming up in the bottom of the sixth, it's still 3-0 Phils.

8:39 - Pedro's fastball has been really running tonight, almost too much at times for his own good, and now one gets away from him and hits Aaron Rowand in the hand.  That looked like it hurt so much, I'm going to have an adult beverage.

8:40 - Rowand's hand is starting to look like a purple football.

8:43 - The Talking Gecko: "Bloody hell, is that a 'Rawlings' print on Rowand's hand?

8:48 - Rowand comes out to play center.  What a gamer.  I'd be curled up on the ground crying.  What gamer.

8:51 - Myers allows Carlos Beltran to double with one out, but retires the next two batters.  Through seven, Myers has faced just 23 batters.

8:59 - Top of the eighth, Xavier Nady just hit an absolute laser to left field.  Wow.  Phils 3, Mets 2.  Rich Dubee comes to the mound to settle Myers down and give Arthur Rhodes and Ryan Franklin a chance to get their jackets off, find their gloves and start throwing.  Thankfully Kaz Matusi is up.

9:03 - Good news: Pedro is pulled for a pinch-hitter, who Mad Myers strikes out.

9:05 - I've been standing since Nady hit the homer, finally I can sit down.  After the homer, Myers pitched the way he had for the rest of the game inducing weak grounders and striking out two.  Let's get an insurance run!

9:12 - Willie Randolph elects to use Duaner Sanchez, a RHP who has been lights out this year rather than the pen's lefty Darren Oliver to face Clutchly and Bobby.  Though Chase hits a ball hard to left, it is right and Cliff Floyd, and Bobby grounded out weakly to first.  Burrell swings and misses at a wicked change from Sanchez, but singles to left on the next pitch.  Manuel pinch runs with Shane Victorino...Ryan Howard laces a ball to the right field corner...Victorino turns it on, Dancy sends him home!  Nady throws, its cut off, the relay to LoDuca...Victorino is there late, but LoDuca drops the ball as Victorino collides...SAFE!  Phils 4, Mets 2!  Those are your Fightin Phillies!!!

9:19 - Flash Gordon comes in to pitch the ninth.  LoDuca, Beltran and Delgado are due up...LoDuca shows he's a gamer by getting a knock to right field.

9:23 - Delgado takes Gordon deep.  4-4 game.  I'm nauseous.

9:26 - Someone who has taken over Flash Gordon's body gives up a single to David Wright, and then a wild pitch to Cliff Floyd.  Manuel decides to just go ahead and walk Floyd now to face Nady.

9:30 - Nady grounds out to Bell, but runners advance to second and third with two outs.  Mercifully, Kaz Matsui comes to the plate.

9:33 - Matsui strikes out looking.  I'll be right back, I am going to bury my face in the toilet......OK, I'm back, David Bell, Chooch, and a pinch-hitter are due up.  Somehow, while my head was in the toilet, Julio Franco was ejected for calling balls and strikes from the on-deck circle.  What an odd odd odd game.

9:40 - The .154-hitting David Delucci steps in with two outs against Aaron Heilman and triples!  C'mon Jimmy!

9:42 - Jimmy takes a pitch in the elbow which brings up Chase Clutchly...Heilman wants no part of Utley, or he's as nervous as I am, and Utley walks...next up, Bobby, Abreu.

9:48 - Bobby's "AB":

Pitch 1 - Ball
Pitch 2 - Strike looking.
Pitch 3 - Ball.  Almost hits Abreu.  The natural reaction is to avoid getting hit, but with the bases loaded, the thing to do would be to literally take one for the team.
Pitch 4 - Abreu swings, and hits a dribbler barely out of the dirt, he shoots out of the box, Heilman and LoDuca converge on the ball, Heilman takes it, turns throws...He throws it away!  Phillies win! Phillies win! Phillies win! 5-4!

9:55 - Am I the only one with a headache?

9:58 - The final ruling is an error, so the Phillies win their 9th straight game on a walk-off error.