Phillies 7, Brewers 5

W: Cliff Lee (7-2)

L: Mike Fiers (1-4)

S: Bastardo (1)

HR: Dominic Brown (16), not Jonathon Lucroy

Fangraphs WEP, MLB.com Box

This one started poorly and improved, but not enough to come from behind for the win. Mike Fiers got lit up today, getting chased in the second, giving up 7 runs (5 earned) and 7 hits along with a walk. He was not helped by his defense; Norichicka Aoki misplayed a ball that could have been caught in the second that led to a Dominic Brown triple, and Jeff Bianchi made a bad throw from short that also cost Fiers an out. Make no mistake, however, Fiers had a bad, bad day.

Brown did most of the damage for the Phillies, hitting an inside cutter for a 3-run home run in the first and finishing 3-3 with a walk, a double away from the cycle. Alfredo Figaro was, once again, a bright spot, throwing 3 and 1/3 innings of necessary relief, throwing only 28 pitches. Gorzelanny (2 IP) and Badenhop (1 IP) each contributed scoreless pitching as well.

Meanwhile, the Brewers could not get anything going against Cliff Lee until the eighth. Aoki hit a 2-out single that scored Rickie Weeks (1-3, BB), Carlos Gomez followed with a single, and Aramis Ramirez walked (batting in the pitcher's spot, the 3-hole, after Braun was double-switched out to get rest in an apparent blowout, this becomes important later). Next came the surging Jonathan Lucroy (1-4), who hit a hard line drive down the left field line for a grand slam, with Rock exclaiming from the booth "the only question on that one was fair or foul". After further review, however, the umpires decided that there was also a question of whether it was over the fence or not. I don't really know where exactly the cutoff on the fence is supposed to be, but it sure looked like it was beyond it. After overturning the call (which, remember, was home run-- which would put the burden of proof on the overturner) the umpires just sent Lucroy over to third, so it appears we are just making this stuff up as we go. The Brewers could not drive in Lucroy, so the game went to the ninth with the score 7-4. Adam McCalvy posted the ballpark ground rules which seem to lead to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a home run.

For some reason, the Phillies brought in Antonio Bastardo for the ninth instead of usual closer Jonathan Papelbon, for reasons the broadcast teams did not seem to understand-- possibly an undisclosed injury. This proved to be a good matchup for the lefty-loving Brewers, and Bastardo gave up a run before getting an out on a Gonzalez single, Weeks walk, and Bianchi single. Jean Segura, pinch hitting for the lefty Logan Schafer, grounded out to put runners at second and third, and Aoki popped out to left. Pulling Braun proved to be vital when, with first base open, the Phillies walked Gomez to work to the pitcher's spot and the only remaining position player, Martin Maldonado, who popped out to center on the first pitch.