The Phillies regained their 6.5 lead over Atlanta and Florida after another dramatic come from behind victory.
The game was a bit scary for Phils' fans; after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, the St. Louis outfield robbed the Phillies of several opportunities to blow the game wide open.
Ryan Ludwick caught a Carlos Ruiz drive with two outs and two on in the first that came just short of the wall, robbing Chooch of a two-run double.
An inning later, Rick Ankiel took an RBI double away from Chase Utley, leaping into the right-center field wall to make a dramatic inning ending catch.
But those were routine in comparison to Ankiel's most dramatic catch of the day. Jayson Werth hit an absolute bullet to straight away center, which appeared it would go for a two-run homer until Ankiel made a spectacular leaping grab, bringing the ball back into the yard.
It started to look like those catches may be the difference when the Cardinals rallied and took a 4-3 lead, but J-Roll continued rolling with a grand slam, followed by Shane Victorino's solo shot and the Phils never looked back.
This team has the best offense in the National League, if not in all of baseball. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels are the only teams in baseball with more runs scored than the Phillies, but consider that the American League's designated hitter helps account for extra hits and runs scored.
The Phillies can certainly hit with the best of them, and their bats have heated up since the start of July. Look for it to carry over into August and for the Phillies to build upon their already solid lead in the NL East.
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The phillies offense is too streaky. Florida has a better offense
ReplyDeleteBaseball is a streaky game and all teams go through hot and cold stretches, the Phillies are no exception. The Florida Marlins started the season 11-1 and then lost seven consecutive games.
ReplyDeleteThe Marlins are 12th in the NL in hitting with a .257 average. The Phillies are tied for 5th, hitting .263.
The Phillies have scored the most runs with 533, the Marlins have scored the 7th most with 448.
The Phillies have the 4th most doubles with 192, Florida is 13th with 169.
The Phillies have the most home runs with 139, Florida is 8th with 93.
The Phillies have the most RBI with 512, Florida is 9th with 414.
The Phillies are 4th in walks with 382, Florida is 12th with 327.
Florida is tied for the most strikeouts with 776, the Phillies are 7th for fewest strikeouts with 690.
The Philies have stolen 68 bags and been caught just 19 times, while Florida has 53 steals and have been caught 21 times.
The Phillies clearly have a much better offense than the Florida Marlins, and the best in the National League.