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We Win! Phillies 5, Reds 3

On a perfect Friday night for baseball, the Phillies beat the Reds with good pitching and good hitting. Is that how baseball works?

You're safe!  (But you were out.)
You're safe! (But you were out.)
USA TODAY Sports

It's Friday night. It's spring. It's beautiful outside. It was a perfect night for baseball. And the Phillies didn't let us down. Here's what I saw happen, in between dinner, kid bedtimes, and another episode of Friday Night Lights:

  • Jimmy Rollins proved me a prophet with his third home run of the year. The two-run shot in the bottom of the third put the Phillies ahead 2-0.
  • Michael Young continues to show those of us who doubted him that maybe we were wrong. After Cliff Lee led off the bottom of the fifth with a double that just missed being a home run and then Rollins bunted him over (small ball!), Young hit a triple to deep center field that put the Phillies up 3-0.
  • In the bottom of the eighth, with the game now tied, the Phillies scored a run without hitting the ball out of the infield. Michael Young walked (again, doubters hanging their heads in shame), Ryan Howard hit an oops-dribbler down the third base line for a single, Delmon Young was hit by a pitch, and Domonic Brown hit a bouncer up the middle that was mishandled by both the shortstop and second baseman. The Phils took the lead 4-3.

Here's what I didn't see happen:

  • Jay Bruce hit a two-run home run off of Cliff Lee in the top of the sixth. Was Lee tired after his double and run scored in the bottom of the fifth?
  • Joey Votto clobbered an Antonio Bastardo eighth inning pitch to tie the game at 3-3. The eighth inning continues to flummox Phillies pitchers.
  • After Michael Young scored to give the Phillies the 4-3 lead, Ryan Howard scored on a Carlos Ruiz sac fly. Replays show that Howard was probably out.
  • Lee, Justin DeFratus, and Jonathan Papelbon combined for 8.7 innings of 2 run ball. That Bastardo character . . . .

Fill in the blanks for the rest of the game below this Fangraph of a Friday night win.


Source: FanGraphs