Strange Victory: Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 2

I'll admit it up front: I didn't watch all of this one. Tuning in from the top of the third to the middle of the sixth, what I did see was Arizona starter Ian Kennedy, he of the 5.96 career ERA going into Saturday's game, retire twelve straight Phillies hitters on something like 26 pitches. Seriously, these were some of the worst at-bats imaginable. This was totally a rational choice. Stop looking at me like that!

Meanwhile, Nelson Figueroa earned an A for effort in his first start for the Phils since 2001. But as the six different uniforms hanging in his closet attest, he's just not all that good. Effort aside, Figgy was probably lucky to trail just 2-1, the runs coming on a two-run Kelly Johnson homer, when he left after 5 innings and 100 pitches. 

Kennedy wound up lasting eight innings, giving up just four hits and a walk. But two of the hits were solo home runs--the Phils' first in a week, with Jayson Werth (who'd hit the last one) connecting in the second inning and Raul Ibanez launching his first of the season in the seventh to tie it. Werth untied the game in the top of the ninth, blasting his second homer of the night off Diamondbacks reliever Juan Gutierrez to give the Phils a 3-2 lead, and Ryan Madson came through in his first save attempt since Tuesday night's meltdown in Atlanta to secure his fourth save of the season, striking out pinch-hitter Tony Abreu with a man on first to end it. Phils relievers Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras (who earned the victory) and Madson combined for eight strikeouts in four scoreless innings.

Kyle Kendrick takes the mound for the Phils in the rubber game tomorrow against former Phillie Rodrigo Lopez.