Exorcise Ball - Phillies 6 - Marlins 3

Oh my god, I'm recapping a win.For anyone who didn't follow The Good Phight last year I recapped over a dozen games last year without a single win. The Phillies found many ways to lose, sometimes teasing me late into games with leads, sometimes getting blown out dramatically from the first pitch. It would figure this is how they'd win, by sticking a knife in at the same time.

Sadly for me, I'm having internet issues this evening and missed the part of the game where AJ Burnett died. I do know he threw about 8 innings worth of pitches in less than 5 innings. I also watched long enough to see that around pitch 85 or so the plate seemed to develop an inverse gravitational field towards the baseball for Burnett, as he struggled to get the ball over. At this point it was 3-2 Phillies, there was one out and the bases were loaded. Sandberg seemed intent on letting Burnett walk the entire lineup. Then with Salty, a Righty due up, Sandberg finally pulled the plug and brought in his best LOOGY, Jake Diekman. Oh, so this is how it ends this time? Fifth inning and, boom goes the dynamite, that's it. Now, freaky Dieky is, in fairness, more than a typical LOOGY and when he can locate he can beat hitters from either side of the plate. Bases loaded, one out and Diekman Strikes out both Salty and the lefthanded hitting Dietrich. Phillies maintain the 3-2 lead, I maintain my high blood pressure.

Diekman was then done for the night as his spot was up in the bottom half of a rather uneventful half inning. I keed, I keed. Jose Fernandez pretty much fell apart himself and also did not escape the 5th inning. Jimmy Rollins, who had himself a fine night hitting in the #2 hole behind noted On-Base machine Tony Gwynn(Jr.), led off with a Triple. A Chase Utley single drove him home. Howard and Byrd followed with Singles of their own (Byrd's driving in Utley to make it 5-2). That was it for Jose Fernandez. Dom Brown then singled to drive in Howard and it was 6-2.

Mario Hollands was his serviceable self for 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, no walks and getting a single K. Bastardo pitched the 8th in a rather exciting fashion as the fish added a run and Papelbon wrapped it up with a relatively non-eventful 9th.

The curse has been lifted as I regress to my mean. It's kind of odd that we used every Lefty in the pen in a game where we didn't really have to use every Lefty in the pen and that we had Tony Gwynn and his career .313 OBP hitting leadoff. It's weird that with Jose Fernandez pitching and with AJ Burnett, as previously, late, the Phils actually scored more runs that they have in ~ a week. Screw it, I'm recapping a win. Suck it, bad luck.

Source: FanGraphs