Maybe I should consider writing game summaries on side of whatever my job is after college...
But it did take some time for the Phillies to heat up.
After scoring their second run in the third inning, Joe Blanton let up a solo shot to Carl Crawford, cutting the Phils' lead in half.
The Phillies have not been doing well with RISP in the World Series (and their big hitters have not had great postseason performances), but this was all they needed:
The pitch to Ryan Howard. Belt high and away; he's crushed this one! No doubt about it; that ball's outta' here!* Three run home run, Ryan Howard!
Howard's homer in the fourth put the Phillies up, 5-1. Previous to Game 3, Howard was in a huge slump. Then he hit a home run, and everything turned around, indicated by his numbers in tonight's game (2 for 3, 3 RBI at that point).
Blanton let up another home run in the fifth to pinch hitter Eric Hinske (Note: It was the Rays' third home run of the series - putting their total in the postseason at twenty-six). Still, Blanton had pitched superbly through five innings (besides the two home runs).
And the long ball remained a factor in this game - going into the seventh inning, the Phillies had the only two runs in the game not scored on homers - a bases-loaded walk issued to Pat Burrell in the first, scoring Rollins, and Feliz's third inning single to left that knocked Utley in.
So when Joe Blanton stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, maybe fans shouldn't have been so shocked by what he did.
He hit a line-drive home run to left, putting the Phillies up 6-2. Phils fans could only hope that
1) He didn't get too tired running around the bases. Brett Myers had some trouble with this when he had a multi-hit game earlier in the postseason - though none of his hits were homers.
2) He got that ball back.
As a side note, Blanton's home run was the first homer by a pitcher in the World Series since 1974.
And it seemed like the first point wasn't too much of a problem. Sixth inning: Blanton hit Crawford with two outs, but got out of the inning with his seventh strikeout on pitch number 93.
He walked Ben Zobrist to lead off the seventh inning, and Chad Durbin came in to relieve. Durbin went one-third of an inning, allowing one hit. Scott Eyre pitched to Akinori Iwamura, getting him to line out, and again Manuel went to the pen. Ryan Madson, who has done very well so far in the playoffs, struck out B.J. Upton on a 3-2 changeup. The threat was over, and Madson would go on to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning. As Larry Anderson states: "He's really come into his own during this series... Madson has really turned it on" (1210 AM WPHT, 10-26-08).
With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jimmy Rollins hit a double off the top of the out-of town scoreboard. Jayson Werth would follow with the fifth total home run of the game. With the Phillies up 8-2, they had secured the win - Brad Lidge, who had been warming in the pen, would be saved for a closer situation.
Chase Utley was walked on four pitches by the new pitcher, Trever Miller.
Ryan Howard did what he had been doing all night. He crushed a home run to right center field, making the score 10-2. How appropriate.
J.C. Romero would come on to finish out the game for the Phillies with an eight run cushion, which was fairly easy - even after Romero's throwing error on a throw to first, as he struck out Bartlett and Baldelli back-to-back to end the game.
The Phillies took a 3-1 series lead with the win, and with ace Cole Hamels (4-0 in postseason) pitching tomorrow and only one game left to win, this series could be over fairly soon.
Game Notes: The Phillies hit four home runs. They now have nine in the World Series (Howard has three).
Chase Utley, despite going 0 for 3, had two runs. Burrell went 0 for 3, and Victorino, the hero of the NLDS and NLCS, went 0 for 5.
Ryan Howard ended the game 3 for 4 - 2 HR, 5 RBI; Jimmy Rollins, 3 for 5.
Home runs - Howard 2; Blanton 1; Werth 1
The Phillies left eight on base, but with twelve hits and ten runs, this number doesn't jump off the page.
*This is a paraphrase, but Harry Kalas likely used his trademark call.
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