Top 9th
The Phillies now have four home runs in this game -- one from Werth, one from Blanton and two from the suddenly hot Ryan Howard.
With a huge lead, Brad Lidge can take a night off. Lefty set-up man J.C. Romero has entered the game for Philadelphia.
My friend Cam just sent me a text message saying that we are going to the clincher tomorrow. I still can't comprehend that I will be in attendance at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow as the Phillies try to bring Philadelphia its first title since the 1983 Sixers.
Navarro reaches on an error as Romero fields and flips it wildly to Howard. One on, nobody out.
Zobrist hits into a fielder's choice as Navarro is thrown out at second for the first out of the inning.
The Phillies are one out from taking a 3-1 lead as Romero strikes out Bartlett. Two outs, man on first.
Rocco Baldelli is pinch hitting for Miller.
Romero strikes out Baldelli on a high fastball. Game over.
I still can't believe I'm saying this, but I will be in attendance tomorrow night as the Phillies attempt to win the World Series.
Final score: Philadelphia 10, Tampa Bay 2
The Phillies now hold a 3-1 edge in the series as Cole Hamels will take the mound tomorrow night against Scott Kazmir in Game 5.
Player of the Game: Phillies 1B Ryan Howard
Howard went 3-4 with two home runs and five RBI.
And Joe Blanton deserves some props for a brilliant performance. He gave up just two runs in six innings of work, striking out seven. Plus, he added a solo home run in the fifth.
Thanks a lot for following along with me tonight. You can join women's basketball and men's soccer writer A.J. Cassavell tomorrow, as he will be taking you through the action in Game 5. I will hopefully be providing periodic live updates to him from Citizens Bank Park and my standing-room only "seat."
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Bottom 8th
Tampa Bay's No. 1-4 hitters are now a collective 0-15 with seven strikeouts. In contrast, Philadelphia's top four are 5-13 with three walks and five runs scored.
Matt Stairs enters the game as a pinch-hitter for Madson but goes down swinging to start the inning against Wheeler.
Rollins continues his big night with a towering fly ball that landed just short of the right field seats and just out of the reach of Zobrist as he jumped against the wall. Rollins rolls into second with a double -- his second of the night. One out, man on second.
And we have "The nail in the coffin" according to assistant sports night editor Steve Maslowsky. Jayson Werth drives a Wheeler pitch into the left field seats for a two-run homer to break the game open, 8-2.
Lefty Trever Miller enters the game for the Rays and walks Chase Utley to bring up Howard.
Howard absolutely hammers Miller's first pitch way out of the park into the right field stands for his second homer of the game. Trever Miller will want to forget this outing fast. A walk to Utley followed by a monster home run by Howard. Phillies now lead 10-2 and Miller is still out there to face Bruntlett.
Bruntlett grounds out and Victorino flies out to deep center to end the inning.
Phillies 10, Rays 2 heading into the ninth.
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Top 8th
Madson gets off to a good start in the eighth by getting Pena to strikeout for the second time this game.
Madson picks up his third strikeout in a row as Longoria goes down for the third time and remains hitless in the series.
A quick inning for Madson as he retires Crawford on a ground ball to Utley at second.
Phillies 6, Rays 2 heading into the bottom of the eighth
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Bottom 7th
Righty Dan Wheeler is entering the game for the Rays. He's given up four earned runs in 7.1 innings coming into tonight.
Shane Victorino will lead things off for the Phillies. He floats a fly ball to right field and Zobrist makes a great sliding catch for the first out.
Pedro Feliz reaches on an infield hit. One on, one out.
Carlos Ruiz at the plate with Ryan Madson holding a bat in the on-deck circle.
Iwamura's awful defensive night turns around with a great diving grab at second followed by a throw to first to barely double up Feliz.
Phillies 6, Rays 2 after seven
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Top 7th
Eric Bruntlett, the infielder who has become Pat Burrell's defensive replacement, takes the field in left. Actual outfielder So Taguchi continues to pay for his awful performances as a defensive replacement early in the season.
Blanton walks Zobrist to start the inning. One on, nobody out.
With a pitch count of 99, Blanton leaves the field to a standing ovation from the Philly fans.
Right-hander Chad Durbin is entering the game for the Phillies. He's allowed one earned run in five postseason innings.
Lefty Scott Eyre is warming up in the bullpen for the Phils.
Durbin retires Jason Bartlett on a fly out to center.
Willy Aybar pinch hits for Edwin Jackson and singles to right. The Rays are now two-for-two with pinch hitters. First and second, one out.
Durbin leaves the game as Eyre comes in to face the left-handed Iwamura.
Eyre has allowed one earned run in 2.2 innings in the playoffs.
Iwamura just put a Jamie Moyer like swing on the ball, diving back nearly out of the box as he swung. With a 3-1 count, Iwamura lines one opposite field to Bruntlett, who makes a basket catch for out No. 2.
Just like that, Eyre's night is over. Charlie Manuel will turn the ball over to set-up man Ryan Madson as B.J. Upton steps to the plate.
Madson has allowed two earned runs in 10.2 innings of postseason work.
Madson misses away on two straight pitches, 3-1 count to Upton. Big pitch coming now with a full count. Madson slips a breaking ball past Upton for a huge strikeout to end the inning.
Stretch time with the Phillies up 6-2.
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Bottom 6th
If you're wondering where the negative commentary is concerning Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, the volume on the TV here at the James Building is a bit low for me to hear much.
It's a real shame...
Jayson Werth gets the Phillies off to a strong start in the sixth as he rips a ball deep into left center, off the wall, for a double. Werth on second with no outs.
Utley strikes out looking for the first out.
Howard gets the intentional walk. First and second, one out.
And Pat the Bat grounds into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Phillies 6, Rays 2 after six.
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Top 6th
Joe Blanton is back on the hill and gets Upton to fly out to Werth down the right field line for the first out.
FOX cuts back to video of Blanton emerging from the dugout to a thunderous applause. It was a Matt Stairs-like swing that he put on that ball. A one-in-a-million swing.
Blanton walks Pena on a 3-2 pitch. One on, one out.
The 0-2 pitch to Longoria gets away from Ruiz but Pena remains at first. Longoria is still looking for his first hit of the series. But Blanton records his sixth strikeout as he catches Longoria looking on a fastball on the outside corner. One on, two outs.
In Crawford's first plate appearance since is home run, a Joe Blanton breaking ball lands on his back foot. Two on, two outs.
Blanton gets a nice call on a 1-0 pitch to Navarro. The ball was clearly outside but umpire Tom Hallion called it a strike. Navarro takes another strike looking as the count moves to 2-2. And Navarro takes his bat off his shoulders at the wrong time, swinging and missing at a high fastball.
Phillies 6, Rays 2
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Bottom 5th
Right-hander Edwin Jackson enters the game for the Rays. He's given up no runs in 2.1 innings this postseason.
He gets Pedro Feliz to pop out to the catcher, Navarro to start the inning.
Carlos Ruiz hits a sharp grounder to Longoria at the third and Longoria throws to Pena for out No. 2... a good start for Jackson.
Now I have seen everything. JOE BLANTON just hit a home run to left field. Really. Joe Blanton.
The famous words "I don't believe what I just saw" come to mind.
Blanton's homer gives the Phillies a 6-2 advantage as he makes up for the Hinske shot in the top half of the inning.
Jimmy Rollins grounds out to Iwamura to end the inning.
Phillies 6, Rays 2 after five
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Top 5th
Zobrist leads off the 5th by hitting a towering fly ball into left center. Victorino gets under it to make the play. One out.
Bartlett hits a sharp ground ball up the middle. It bounces off the leg of Blanton and over to Feliz. Feliz charges at 3rd and beats Bartlett with the throw to first for the second out.
Andy Sonnanstine's night is officially over as Eric Hinske steps up to the plate to pinch hit. The Phillies continue to chase starting pitchers out of games early in the postseason.
And Hinske blasts a ball to straight-away center and Victorino can only watch as it disappears into the bushes behind the ball. 5-2 Phillies.
Iwamura's miserable night continues as he grounds out to Blanton.
Blanton has been fantastic outside of the two home run balls to Crawford and Hinske.
Sonnanstine's line:
4 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
89 pitches
The defense behind him certainly hasn't helped, but Sonnanstine's control was far from good tonight.
Phillies 5, Rays 2
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Bottom 4th
Four innings, and Jimmy Rollins already has three hits. Iwamura is having a tough day in the field as the ball just slipped past his glove. One on, nobody out.
And the scorers take away the hit and give Iwamura an error... his second of the game.
Jayson Werth walks and the Rays bullpen begins to see some activity. First and second, nobody out.
Sonnanstine bounces back to work get Utley swinging on a three-pitch strikeout. Two on, one out.
With Howard at the plate, Navarro nearly gets Rollins at second with a snap throw. Next pitch, Howard launches a towering shot into opposite field. Home run Ryan Howard and the Phillies take a 5-1 lead.
Yes, the Phillies did in fact just get a hit with a runner in scoring position.
Really.
The replay shows a hanging curve ball over the outer half of the plate. Howard handled it perfectly by taking it the other way. When Ryan Howard is on, that's the kind of thing he does.
Burrell pops out to Navarro for out No. 2.
For the one millionth time this season, Shane Victorino slices a fly ball in the infield. This time, Longoria controls it to end the inning.
But the damage has been done, and Sonnanstine's night may be over. He's due up third in the 5th.
Phillies 5, Rays 1.
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Top 4th
Pena strikes out swinging, Blanton's fifth of the game. One out, nobody on.
Longoria's hitless streak continues as he grounds out to shortstop. Two outs, nobody on.
And Carl Crawford gets the Rays on the board with a shot to right that just finds its way into the first row. Phillies 2, Rays 1.
Blanton promptly gets Navarro to ground out to Rollins to end the top half of the inning.
Phillies 2, Rays 0
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Bottom 3rd
Utley reaches on an error by Iwamura as the ball deflects off the top of his glove at 2nd. One on, nobody out.
Howard rips a mistake by Sonnanstine into right for a base hit, Utley advances to third. Howard is inconsistent, but you just can't throw a fastball down the middle of the plate. That's the only pitch Howard ever appears to be swinging at, regardless of location. First and third, nobody out.
Burrell flies out to Bartlett at shortstop for out No. 1.
The Phillies continue to struggle with timely hits, as Victorino also pops out to Bartlett. Two outs, first and third.
And the Phillies manage to keep the nearly-extinct phrase "timely hitting" alive by singling into left to score Utley. Phillies 2, Rays 0. Two outs, first and second.
Iwamura makes a nice stop up the middle on a Ruiz grounder, but he drops it and everyone is safe. Bases loaded, two outs.
Blanton pops out to Pena in foul territory to again bump up the Phillies LOB stat.
Phillies 2, Rays 0 after three.
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Top 3rd
Blanton gets Bartlett to strike out swinging to start the third. That's four strikeouts for Blanton already. One out, none on.
"If you give up a hit to an AL pitcher, you should just give up." - Collegian copy editor Dave Miniaci. Blanton does just that as Sonnanstine singles to left. One out, man on first.
Iwamura hits a chopper to Rollins at shortsop. Rollins gets Sonnanstine with the force at second but Iwamura reaches. Two outs, man on second.
Upton rips a ball to Rollins again. Rollins throws to Utley and second and just barely beats Iwamura for out No. 3.
Phillies 1, Rays 0
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Bottom 2nd
I don't know about everyone else, but watching the same commercials (i.e. DirecTV) has gotten very, very old. It's not at the level of Under Armour, "Click Clack" and the NFL Draft, but still annoying.
Game Three hero Carlos Ruiz leads off the second but flies out to deep left. One out, nobody on.
Joe Blanton steps to the plate with lifetime numbers of two hits in 31 at-bats. If Brett Myers can get hits, can't Blanton get one? Apparently not. Blanton goes down swinging. Two outs, nobody on.
Rollins rips a pitch just in front of Zobrist in right for a base hit. Two outs, man on first.
Werth stays with a bad pitch and flies out to Zobrist in right to end the inning.
Phillies 1, Rays 0 after two.
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Top 2nd
Evan Longoria leads off for the Rays, hoping to get his first hit of the World Series. And Longoria continues to do nothing as Joe Blanton gets a breaking ball by him for the strikeout. One out, nobody on.
Another strikeout for Blanton as he gets Carl Crawford to swing at breaking ball way out of the strike zone low and inside. Two outs, nobody on.
Navarro attempts a bunt on an 0-1 count but it goes foul down the third base line. Not often you see a catcher try for a bunt single. Navarro takes a 2-2 pitch that looked like a strike but was called a ball. With a full count, he rips a base hit to right field to become Tampa's first base runner of the game. One on, two outs.
Blanton quickly recovers as he gets Zobrist to pop out to shallow center to Victorino. It looked like Utley called for it but he jumped out of the way at the last second to let Victorino handle it.
Phillies 1, Rays 0
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Bottom 1st
Rollins actually does the job of a lead-off man and rips a 3-1 pitch down the first base line for a double. No outs, man on second.
Werth nearly gets hit on the first pitch he sees and works the count to 3-0. After taking a pitch, Werth flies out to Zobrist in right. Rollins tags up and heads to 3rd. One out, man on third.
Can the Phillies get a hit with a runner in scoring position? I'd like to know the over-under on the number of graphics Fox shows related to that.
Utley works a four-pitch walk. Sonnanstine is off to a rough start to say the least. One out, first and third with Howard coming up.
Howard taps it up the middle to Sonnanstine, Rollins gets caught in a run-down between third and home but somehow makes it back to third "safely." Bases loaded, one out.
Pat the Bat works a 3-0 count and takes all the way for strike one. My co-worker Nate Mink is predicting a grand slam. Instead, Burrell walks to score Rollins. Bases loaded still, one out. Phils lead 1-0.
Victorino taps the ball to Sonnanstine, who tosses home to Navarro to get Utley on the force. Bases loaded, two outs.
Pedro Feliz trying to get the Phillies a hit with runners on base. Of course, he flies out to center. Definitely a wasted opportunity for the Phillies. But what else is new?
Phillies 1, Rays 0 after one
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Top 1st
Is there anything more pointless than Fox's "Keys to the Game?" For the Phillies, they're supposed to continue their home perfection in the postseason. Really? The key to the game for the Phillies is to win? Wish I would've thought of that.
Iwamura almost gets the Rays off to a great start with a long fly ball to left field, but Pat Burrell catches it with his back against the wall. One out.
B.J. Upton goes down looking for out No. 2. Two outs.
After a tough at-bat by Iwamura, Blanton cruises through the next two hitters. Pena pops out behind the plate to Ruiz to end the inning.
Rays 0, Phillies coming to bat
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It's almost game time and right now we're subject to listening to Patti Labelle butcher the National Anthem. I was going to say she was better than the Backstreet Boys, but then the ending of her rendition took about 3 hours.
I don't know why so many people feel the need to add to the National Anthem, but it's just getting really old. Can't anyone just sing it without trying to impress everyone with terrible additions to it?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the uncharismatic Joe Buck and the often-inaccurate Tim McCarver are about ready to begin the call.
The most excited I've heard Joe Buck this postseason was when Manny Ramirez ran hard and cut off a ball in left field in the NLCS. We don't need Gus Johnson, but a little excitement couldn't hurt.
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What's up everyone, this is Collegian men's basketball and women's soccer reporter Matt Brown here to take you through Game Four of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies hold a 2-1 advantage in the series and have an opportunity to send Cole Hamels to the mound for the championship in tomorrow's Game Five with a win tonight.
As a side note, I'm lucky enough to hold a standing-room only ticket to tomorrow night's game. I don't want to get ahead of myself but yes, I have the chance to see the city of Philadelphia gets its first championship since 1983 in person. And no, the Philadelphia Soul don't count.
Tonight, the Phillies will send Joe Blanton to the mound against Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine. Blaton is 1-0 in two playoff starts with a 3.27 ERA, 11 strikeouts and four walks in 11 inninings. Sonnanstine is 2-0 in two starts with a 3.46 ERA, six stikeouts and two walks in 13 innings.
It'll be hard to top last night's ugliness, so maybe tonight a run will actually score on a hit to the outfield.
Tonight's lineups:
Tampa Bay
Akinori Iwamura, 2B
B.J.Upton, CF
Carlos Pena, 1B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carl Crawford, LF
Dioner Navarro, C
Ben Zobrist, RF
Jason Bartlett, SS
Andy Sonnanstine, P
Philadelphia
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Jayson Werth, RF
Chase Utley, 2B
Ryan Howard, 1B
Pat Burrell, LF
Shane Victorino, CF
Pedro Feliz, 3B
Carlos Ruiz, C
Joe Blanton, P
