Recap: Philadelphia vs. Los Angeles
Sports Network | August 24, 2008
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Pedro Feliz tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning and came through with a game-winning three-run homer in the 11th, as the Philadelphia Phillies escaped with a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Feliz's heroics made a winner out of Chad Durbin (5-2), who pitched two scoreless innings of relief. Shane Victorino has two hits and scored twice for the Phillies, who have won the first three games of this four-game set and six of seven overall.
Joe Beimel (4-1) was credited with the loss, while Jeff Kent went 3-for-5 with an RBI for LA, which has fallen in five of its last six games, keeping them three games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL West lead.
In the Phillies' final at-bat, Victorino smoked a liner to left and turned the first-base bag with a full head of steam, sliding into second to easily beat Manny Ramirez's lackadaisical throw to the bag.
Jason Johnson relieved Beimel and walked Chris Coste. Jayson Werth then grounded out to move both runners into scoring position, but the Phillies used all of their position players and had to pinch-hit starting pitcher Cole Hamels, who popped out to second.
Feliz finished things off, however, smashing a fastball over the left-center field fence and moving the Phillies within a half-game of the NL-East leading Mets.
Joe Blanton took another no decision, his sixth in seven starts since joining the Phillies, after allowing a run on six hits and three walks through six innings.
Hiroki Kuroda had another solid performance against Philadelphia, throwing six frames and surrendering just two hits, two walks and a run while fanning five.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first but only managed one run on James Loney's single through the hole between first and second.
Kuroda, meanwhile, kept the Phils out of the hit column until Carlos Ruiz opened the fifth with a single. Blanton sacrificed the runner to second and Chase Utley came through two batters later with a base hit up the middle to bring in the tying run.
The Phils bullpen leaked in the seventh. After picking off Juan Pierre and striking out Matt Kemp, J.C. Romero walked Andre Ethier and was pulled in favor of Ryan Madson.
The reliever threw a ball in the dirt and Ethier moved up a bag on the wild pitch, proving pivotal as Kent lined to left to score Ethier without a play at the plate.
But the home team battled back to tie it in the ninth off Jonathan Broxton. The hard-throwing closer allowed a lead-off single to Victorino and walked pinch-hitter Andy Tracy before Feliz drove an RBI single to right. Jimmy Rollins grounded out weakly to first to end the frame.
Durbin worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in 10th to keep the game tied at two.
It was Feliz's second career game-winning homer, the other occurring July 25, 2003 vs. San Diego while he was with San Francisco...Kuroda also allowed just two hits and a run against the Phillies on August 14...LA was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, stranding 13 runners, while Philly was 3-for-11 with RISP and left eight on base...In the series finale on Monday, the Phillies go for the sweep with Brett Myers (6-10) on the hill against LA's Chad Billingsley (12-9)...Philadelphia had lost six straight games to Los Angeles prior to the two wins in this series.
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