Philliesflow.com

Oh, but I will, Han.

Cliff Lee and Jimmy Rollins led the way last night as the Phils topped the Marlins 3-1 to win their seventh straight.

The game was scoreless in the top of the sixth when Rollins and Lee made errors on back-to-back plays, leading to an unearned run for the Marlins on a two-out single by Carlos Lee. Rollins didn’t wait long to atone for his error, leading off the bottom of the sixth with a single to right that broke up Johnson’s no-hitter. He was still at second with two outs, though, before Mayberry’s single to center brought him home and tied the game at 1-1. Pete Orr came up big in the bottom of the seventh, delivering a two-out pinch-hit single with the bases empty to give Rollins a chance with a man on. Rollins came through again, lining a two-run homer to right to put the Phils up 3-1. Aumont again shut the Marlins down in the eighth and Papelbon again shut them down in the ninth.

The bullpen was charged with two unearned runs in the second game of the set with the Marlins, but has not been charged with an earned run in their last six games. Over those six games the pen has thrown to a 0.00 ERA and an 0.86 ratio over 16 1/3 innings.

Going back to the start of August, the Phillies are 9-0 in their games in which they have scored three runs (including two of the three games against the Marlins).

That’s a whole lot of things. Really, really unlikely is one of them. They were 4-9 on the year in games in which they scored three runs before the start of August.

For the year, NL teams have a winning percentage of .415 in games in which they score three runs. Someone please check my math, but if a team had a 41.5% chance to win any game in which they score three runs, I think that would mean they have a 0.04% chance to go 9-0 in a given set of nine games in which they score three runs, yes?

The Phillies are 72-71 on the year after beating the Miami Marlins 3-1. The Phils sweep the three-game series and have won seven in a row for the first time this season. They are in third place in the NL East, 17 games behind the first-place Nats. They are three games out for the Wild Card and over .500 for the first time since June 3.

Baseball Prospectus Playoff Odds Report says 2.7% today, up from 1.0% yesterday. Only thing I know for sure is that if the odds triple every day, that’s good for the Phillies.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing one run, which was unearned, on four hits and a walk. All four of the hits were singles and he struck out six.

Lee hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts. He’s 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA and a 1.09 ratio over those five outings and the Phillies have gone 4-1. He’s allowed three walks in 56 2/3 innings in his eight starts since the beginning of August.

He set the Marlins down in order in the top of the first, getting Gorkys Hernandez on a fly ball to center and Donovan Solano and Jose Reyes on ground balls to short.

Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Lee singled back-to-back to start the second, putting runners on first and second for Justin Ruggiano. Lee struck Ruggiano out looking 2-2 and Ruggiano was ejected for arguing with the home plate ump. John Buck was the next hitter for the Marlins and he grounded to second. Utley made a diving play to field the ball, but had trouble getting the ball out of his glove. He finally did and Lee was forced at second for the second out. It left Miami with two down and runners on first and third for Donnie Murphy. Lee struck Murphy out swinging at a 3-2 pitch that Murphy thought he fouled off, ending the inning with both runners stranded.

Lot of drama there for a pair of strikeouts.

The pitcher Josh Johnson started the third with a single to left and moved up to second when Hernandez grounded softly to third for the first out. Solano grounded to Rollins for the second out and Reyes popped out to Howard to leave Johnson at second.

Lee threw a 1-2-3 fourth.

He struck out the side in the fifth, getting Buck, Murphy and Johnson.

With one out in the sixth, Solano hit a ball back up the middle. Rollins tried to handle it moving to his left, but didn’t field it cleanly for an error that put Solano on first. Reyes was next and he chopped a 1-0 pitch to the third base side of the mound. Lee fielded the ball moving towards third base and threw to second, but his throw was bad on the shortstop side of the bag and pulled Utley off the base. No out for the Phillies on the second error in two at-bats and the Marlins had runners on first and second with one out. Lee got Stanton on a fly ball to left for the second out with the runners holding. It brought Lee to the plate and he singled to right on the first pitch he saw. Brown might have had a chance to get Solano with a perfect throw, but he didn’t come up to one. He again took a bunch of tiny steps on the way to the ball and this time his throw wasn’t that good. It was strong and up the third base line. Solano scored easily to put the Marlins up 1-0 with two down and men on first and third. Lee got Austin Kearns to ground to Martinez to end the inning.

The Phillies make two errors in the frame and it winds up costing them just one run. Brown’s throw could have been a lot better and it sure looks like he needs to do a bunch of work on his footing when charging the ball before he throws. Would have been taken a really good throw to get Solano, though.

At the time, two errors in two batters looked like too many to make given that the Phillies didn’t have a hit in the game. Rollins would redeem himself before it was over.

It was 1-1 when Lee walked Buck to start the seventh. Murphy flew to right for the first out. Johnson hit for himself and tried to bunt Buck to second, but popped up to Martinez in foul territory for the second out. Hernandez flew to right for the third out.

Aumont pitched the eighth with the Phillies up 3-1. He walked Reyes with one out, but struck Stanton out swinging 0-2 for the second. Lee grounded to short to end the frame.

Stanton was 2-for-12 in the series with a home run and seven strikeouts.

Pitching for the second straight day, Aumont dropped his ERA for the year to 1.08 in his ninth appearance. He’s pitched in four games since Sunday, pitching in both games of the double-header and in games two and three of the set with the Fish.

Papelbon started the ninth with a two-run lead and hit the first batter he faced, Austin Kearns, with a 1-1 pitch. He struck Buck out swinging 1-2 for the first out, though, and got Dobbs looking 1-2 for the second. Lefty Bryan Petersen hit for the pitcher Brandon Webb and walked on four pitches, putting the tying run on base with two down and men on first and second for the righty Hernandez. Papelbon struck him out swinging 1-2 to end the game.

Papelbon was also pitching for the second straight day. He’s throw five scoreless innings over his last five appearances, striking out eight. Like Aumont, he pitched in both games of Sunday’s double-header and then in games two and three of the series with the Marlins.

Two scoreless innings for the pen in which they allow two walks and strike out four.

Aumont and Papelbon have both pitched two days in a row. And a lot recently. Papelbon threw 19 pitches in the game and Aumont 14.

The Phillies lineup against righty Josh Johnson went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Brown (7) Kratz (8) Martinez. Pierre in left against the righty. Kratz catches with Ruiz on the bench. Martinez at third with Polanco on the DL and Frandsen sidelined with a stress fracture in his leg.

Utley was hit by a pitch with two outs in the bottom of the first. Howard went down on a softly hit ball to the pitcher to end the inning.

Mayberry and Brown walked back-to-back to start the second, putting men on first and second for Kratz. Kratz struck out swinging 2-2 for the first out. Martinez was next and he grounded to first for the second, moving the runners up to second and third for Lee. Lee struck out swinging 2-2 to leave them there.

Johnson had thrown 40 pitches through the first two innings.

The Phillies went in order in the third, fourth and fifth.

They were still looking for their first hit off of Johnson when they started the sixth down 1-0. Rollins led off an chopped a 1-0 pitch past a diving Lee and into right field for a single. Pierre bunted him to second with the first out. Utley followed and walked on four pitches, putting two men on for Howard. Howard struck out swinging 2-2 for the second out. It brought Mayberry to the plate and he hit a 1-0 pitch into center for a single. Rollins scored to tie the game at 1-1. Hernandez threw to third trying to get Utley, but Utley slid in just safe, leaving the Phils with runners on the corners and two down in a tie game. Brown grounded to Lee with Lee throwing to second to force Mayberry and end the inning.

Second time in two days the Fish looked pretty comfortable pitching around Utley to get to Howard. Big strikeout for Howard for the second out, but Mayberry picks him up with a huge two-out single.

Rollins gets the inning started with a leadoff single to break up the no-hitter after making a big error in the top of the frame.

Kratz and Martinez went down to start the seventh. With Johnson still on the mound, Orr hit for Lee and singled to right. Orr stole second before Rollins lined a 2-0 pitch out to right for his second home run in two days, putting the Phils up 3-1. Pierre flew to left for the third out.

Huge two-out single for Orr gives Rollins a chance and Rollins comes through again.

Righty Ryan Webb pitched the eighth for Miami. Mayberry walked with two outs, but Brown flew to center to leave him at first.

Second walk in the game for Mayberry, who is suddenly a walking machine. He has walked 11 times in his last 54 plate appearances. Prior to those 54 plate appearances he had walked 18 times in 355 plate appearances for the year.

Rollins was 2-for-4 in the game with a two-run homer, which was the only extra-base hit for the Phillies. 5-for-11 with a walk and two home runs in the series. 249/307/423 on the year. 326/360/630 with four home runs in 50 plate appearances so far in September. He hit a big home run in game two of the set, broke up the no-hitter in the sixth inning last night and scored the first Phillies’s run, then hit the two-run homer that accounted for the other two runs the Phils scored.

Pierre 0-for-3. 3-for-7 with a double in the series. 9-for-22 (.409) so far in September. 306/347/368 for the year.

Utley was 0-for-2 with a walk. 4-for-9 with three walks and a double in the series. 254/362/449 for the season. 264/383/409 over his last 133 plate appearances.

Howard 0-for-4 and struck out twice. 1-for-12 in the series. 171/261/220 in 46 plate appearances so far in September. 227/308/415 for the year.

Mayberry 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI in the game. 3-for-11 with a double and two walks in the series. 255/311/426 for the season. 299/378/496 in 156 plate appearances since Victorino and Pence were traded.

Brown 0-for-3 with a walk. 3-for-10 with two walks and a home run in the series. 292/393/458 over his last 28 plate appearances. 248/329/360 for the year.

Kratz was 0-for-3 and struck out twice. 0-for-6 in the series. 0-for-his-last-13. 211/250/395 over his last 84 plate appearances after hitting 333/400/800 in his 50 PA previous to that. 256/306/545 for the season.

Martinez was 0-for-3 in the game and 2-for-9 with two doubles in the series. 156/198/240. He’s a weird guy to start at third base every day if you’re trying to make the playoffs.

Tyler Cloyd (1-1, 4.24) faces righty Lucas Harrell (10-9, 3.83) tonight in Houston. Cloyd will be making his fourth start of the year and it will come on short rest after Cloyd threw 76 pitches in the second game of the double-header against the Rockies on Sunday. Lefties have hit 409/480/727 against Cloyd over his first three starts. Harrell faced the Phillies on May 14, allowing three runs (two earned) over 5 2/3 innings. He has a 2.06 ERA in his 11 starts at home and a 5.06 ERA in his 17 starts on the road.

The Phillies got outstanding pitching this weekend as they swept the Nats in a three-game set. The Phils scored just 12 runs in the series, but held the Nationals to five, getting three solid starts and 6 1/3 scoreless innings from their bullpen.

Kendrick pitched into the seventh in game one as the Phils won 4-2. Rollins had two hits and drove in a pair for the Phillies.

Halladay was solid in game two and Mayberry drove in three as the Phils again won 4-2.

Yesterday Cliff Lee got his first win at home for the season, holding the Nats to a run over seven innings as the Phils won 4-1.

Kendrick, Halladay and Lee combined to throw to a 2.18 ERA in 20 2/3 innings in the series.

The Phillies didn’t get a ton of offense in the set, but Rollins was 5-for-10 with four RBI. Mayberry went 4-for-11 and drove in three.

The Phillies are 61-67 on the year after beating the Washington Nationals 4-1 yesterday. The Phils sweep the three-game series and in third place in the NL East, 16 1/2 games out of first. They’re 9 1/2 games out for the Wild Card and have won four in a row.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing a run on seven hits. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, all doubles. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

Ryan Zimmerman singled to center with two outs in the top of the first. Jayson Werth popped to Utley to leave Zimmerman stranded.

Adam LaRoche singled to center to start the second. Lee got Tyler Moore on a fly ball to right for the first out and Jesus Flores grounded into a double-play behind Moore.

Lee struck Steve Lombardozzi in a 1-2-3 third and Werth in a 1-2-3 fourth.

He struck out LaRoche to start the fifth before Moore doubled into the left field corner. Flores struck out swinging for the second out and Lee got Lombardozzi grounded to Utley to end the frame.

The Phillies were leading 3-0 when lefty Roger Bernadina, hitting for the pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, led off the sixth with a bunt single. Lee set the Nationals down in order behind him.

It was 4-0 when Werth led off the seventh. He hit a ball that Lee handled near the third base line, but Lee’s throw to first wasn’t handled. Werth had a single and Lee’s error allowed him to move up to second. LaRoche was next and he hammered a ball to right that everyone thought was out of the yard. He started his jog around the bases, but the ball was still in play. Werth and LaRoche were both just about at third when they figured out the play wasn’t over and LaRoche was tagged out easily. Reviews showed the call was right — the ball went off the very top of the fence and back into play. It left Washington with one out and Werth on third. Moore was next and doubled to left. Werth scored. 4-1. Flores flew to right and Lombardozzi lined softly to Utley to end the frame.

That could have been a lot worse.

Horst started the eighth. Bernadina led off and doubled to left. Espinosa was next and he grounded to short for the first out with Bernadina holding. Righty Ian Desmond hit for pitcher Tom Gorzelanny. Lindblom took over for Horst to face the righty. Lefty Chad Tracy hit for Desmond. Lindblom got Tracy to ground to short for the second out and struck out Ryan Zimmerman to leave Bernadina stranded.

Horst drops his ERA on the year to 0.96 by allowing a hit in a scoreless third of an inning. He has a 1.13 ratio to go with his ERA and has struck out 22 in 18 2/3 innings.

Lindblom was back for the ninth and set the Nats down in order, striking out Werth for the first out, getting LaRoche on a line drive to first for the second and striking out Moore to end the game.

With Papelbon having pitched three straight days, Lindblom goes five outs to get career save number one. He drops his ERA with the Phillies to 6.52.

Two scoreless innings in the game for the pen in which they allow one hit and strike out three.

Lindblom threw 13 pitches in the game and Horst three.

The Phillies lineup against righty Stephen Strasburg went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Nix (7) Frandsen (8) Kratz. Brown out of the starting lineup for the second day in a row as Nix starts in righty. Pierre in left against the righty and Kratz behind the plate.

Utley walked with two outs in the bottom of the first. Howard struck out swinging to leave him stranded.

Mayberry started the bottom of the second to start the second. Nix, Frandsen and Kratz went in order behind him.

Pierre walked with two outs in the third. Utley was next and flew to right for the third out.

Werth made an amazing play to retire Utley for the third out. It was a high fly ball to right and Werth just missed it. The ball went off the side of his glove and he caught it with his bare hand to retire Utley and end the inning.

The Phils went in order in the fourth.

Frandsen led off the fifth with a single to left and took second on a wild pitch. Kratz hit a ball softly into shallow center, but Harper made a nice driving catch for the first out. It brought Lee to the plate and he hit a ball over Harper’s head that landed on the warning track. Frandsen scored and the Phils led 1-0. Rollins was next and he hit a 231 pitch out to right for a two-run homer that put the Phils up 3-0. Pierre followed that with a single before Utley flew to center for the second out. Howard followed that with a walk, but Mayberry popped to second to leave both runners stranded.

Nice diving play in center by Harper on Kratz’s ball costs the Phillies a run. Home run number 15 on the year for Rollins.

Career stolen base number 586 of his career for Pierre ties him with Maury Wills for 19th all-time.

Lefty Tom Gorzelanny took over for Zimmerman to start the sixth. Nix led off and hit an 0-2 pitch out to right, putting the Phils up 4-0. Frandsen followed with a single, but Kratz hit into a double-play behind him and Kratz struck out for the third out.

Nix stays in the game and homers off of the lefty.

Rollins singled off of Gorzelanny to start the seventh and Pierre bunted him to second with the first out. Utley moved Rollins to third with a ground ball, but Howard struck out to leave him there.

Righty Drew Storen got Mayberry, Nix and Frandsen in order in the eighth.

Rollins was 2-for-4 in the game with a home run. 5-for-10 in the series with two walks and a home run. 244/303/407 for the season.

Pierre 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. 1-for-6 in the series, which drops his average under .300. 299/342/363. 263/310/343 over his last 195 plate appearances.

Utley was 0-for-3 with a walk and 2-for-9 with two walks in the set. 249/357/452 for the year.

Howard 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. 2-for-11 with a walk and a double in the series. 3-for-his-last-18 and hitting 245/329/450 for the season.

Mayberry 1-for-4 yesterday. 4-for-11 with a home run and four RBI in the series. 242/281/407 for the year. 277/315/470 in 89 plate appearances since Victorino and Pence were traded. 242/281/407 for the season. Still has not walked against a left-handed pitcher this season in 132 plate appearances.

Nix 1-for-4 with a home run yesterday. First home run against a lefty for Nix since April 25, 2004 against Ron Villone. 2-for-6 with a walk and a home run in the series. 186/265/279 in 49 plate appearances since coming off of the DL. 258/330/438 for the year.

Frandsen 2-for-4 in the game and 3-for-10 with a walk in the series. 351/402/426 on the year.

Kratz 0-for-3 and left three men on base. He was 1-for-10 in the series and struck out four times. 291/352/646 for the season.

No game today. Mets tomorrow.

The Phillies came up short last night as the old guard folded late and the Reds beat them 5-4 to even the series at a game apiece.

The Phils went into the top of the seventh with a 1-0 lead, but Lee allowed three runs in a top of the seventh that included errors by Howard and Utley. Bastardo allowed a solo homer in the eighth and Papelbon allowed a solo homer in the ninth.

The Phillies allowed five runs after the start of the seventh inning.

Kevin Frandsen was outstanding in the game and his effort is hard to ignore as the Phils think about 2013 and their never-ending gaping hole at third. He had three hits, including a triple with two outs in the eighth inning that tied the game at 4-4 and upped his average on the year to .350 after 80 at-bats. He also made two spectacular diving plays at third base, one of which came in the sixth as the Phils held a one-run lead with the bases loaded, following them up with throws from his knees in time to get the runner.

Kratz was merely 1-for-4 with a double last night, but he’s slugging .723 in his 65 at-bats with the Phils this year.

Less spectacular was Antonio Bastardo, who allowed yet another home run in the top of the eighth to put the Phils behind 4-3. Since the end of May, Bastardo has thrown to a 7.71 ERA and allowed seven home runs in 23 1/3 innings. The Phils are apparently willing to go the extra mile to make Bastardo their eighth inning guy, but that’s really not working in dramatic fashion and hasn’t been for a long time.

The Phillies are 57-66 on the year after losing to the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 last night. The teams have split the first two games of the series. They are still tied for third place in the NL East, 20 games behind the first-place Nats. If they went 39-0 in their remaining games, the Phils would finish with six fewer wins than they had in 2011.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk. Only two of the runs were earned. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, all doubles. He struck out nine.

The Phillies have lost three games in a row that Lee has started and are 7-15 in his starts for the year.

He struck out Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs for the first two outs in the top of the first before Brandon Phillips doubled to center. Ryan Ludwick flew to Brown in right for the third out.

The Phillies were up 1-0 when Lee started the second. He struck Jay Bruce out for the first out and got Scott Rolen on a fly ball to right for the second before Todd Frazier doubled. Ryan Hanigan lined to Rollins to leave Frazier at second.

Lee struck out the pitcher Homer Bailey and Stubbs in a 1-2-3 third.

He struck out Phillips and Bruce as he set the Reds down in order in the fourth.

Hanigan singled with two outs in the fifth. Lee got Bailey looking behind Hanigan to leave Hanigan at first.

Singles by Cozart, Stubbs and Phillips loaded the bases to start the sixth. Ludwick hit a ball hard to third, but Frandsen made a fantastic play, diving to his left to make the play and then throwing strong to home from his knees to force Cozart for the first out. Bruce was next and Lee got him to ground into a double-play to keep the Reds off the board and the Phils still ahead 1-0.

Huge play by Frandsen.

Lee didn’t have as much luck getting out of his jam in the seventh. Rolen led off with a double and Frazier walked behind him. Hanigan was next and twice tried to bunt and fouled it off. Swinging away 1-2, he singled into center. Rolen scored from second, tying the game at 1-1. Howard didn’t handle the throw in from center and the ball got away around the mound, allowing the runners to move up to second and third with nobody out. Lee struck out Bailey for the first out before Cozart hit a fly ball to center deep enough for Frazier to tag and score, putting the Reds up 2-1. Stubbs was next and lined a single to left, scoring Hanigan from second. 3-1. Rosenberg came in to pitch to the righty Phillips. Phillips hit a ground ball to second that Utley didn’t handle for another error, putting runners on first and second. Rosenberg struck out Ludwick to leave them there.

Two errors for the Phillies in the frame. Whether you think it cost them a run or not depends on whether you think anyone could take a base on the Cozart fly out for the second out if the runners were on first and second rather than second and third and how many runs you think would have scored on the Stubbs single. I don’t think it’s likely that Frazier goes from second to third on Cozart’s ball had he been on second.

Rosenberg was pitching for the second straight day for the first time in his career. Big strikeout of Ludwick with two men on for the final out of the inning. Actually faced two man in the frame and handled both, but one was safe on the Utley error.

Bastardo started the eighth with the score tied at 3-3. He got the first two before Frazier hit an 0-1 pitch out to left. 4-3. Hanigan walked and righty Miguel Cairo hit for the pitcher Sean Marshall. Cairo struck out looking to leave Hanigan at first.

Bastardo was also pitching for the second straight day. 7.71 ERA since the end of May.

Papelbon started the ninth with the game tied again, this time at 4-4. Cozart was the first batter he faced and Cozart hit his first pitch out to left. 5-4. Papelbon got the next three. Frandsen made another outstanding defensive play to get the second out on a grounder by Phillips, diving to make the play and again throwing from his knees in time to nip the runner.

Almost saw Phillippe Aumont make his debut in the ninth. He was warming in the eighth before the Phillies tied things up.

Papelbon was charged with his first run since July 21 when he gave up a run in his second inning of work to the Giants. He came into the game having thrown 10 1/3 scoreless innings.

The bullpen goes 2 1/3 innings in the game for the Phillies, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out four. They are out-bullpened by the Reds, who allow a run in 2 2/3 innings on four hits and two walks.

Rosenberg has pitched two days in a row, but threw six pitches last night and two in the first game. Bastardo has also thrown two days in a row. He threw 17 pitches yesterday and ten in game one.

The Phillies lineup against righty Homer Bailey went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Brown (7) Frandsen (8) Kratz. Again, Mayberry can’t really hit fifth against a righty and break up four lefties 2-4 and another lefty in the six-hole.

Rollins led off the bottom of the first and hit a ball that Phillips didn’t handle at second for an error. Pierre flew to center for the first out before Utley moved Rollins to third with a single. Howard was next and hit a ball off the base of the wall in right. Rollins scored to put the Phils up 1-0, but the ball rolled right to Bruce in the outfield and Utley had to hold third. It brought Mayberry to the plate with runners on the corners. He roped a ball just foul down the left field line before striking out for the second out. Brown got ahead 3-1 and then struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch on a ball that looked real low.

Howard smoked the ball, but it goes right back to Bruce and costs the Phils a run. Mayberry strikes out with one out and a man on third to keep the Phillies from getting more.

Kratz and Lee struck out as the Phils went in order in the second.

Utley singled to right with two outs in the third, but Howard struck out swinging to leave him at first.

Frandsen singled with two outs in the fourth, but Kratz grounded to short to end the inning.

Rollins singled to right with one out in the fifth. Pierre popped to Cozart before Rollins was caught stealing for the third out.

Utley was hit by a pitch to start the sixth. Howard lined to left and Mayberry hit into a double-play.

The Phillies were down 3-1 when they hit in the seventh. Frandsen singled with one out and moved to third on a double by Kratz. Nix hit for Rosenberg and lefty Sean Marshall came in to pitch to him. Wigginton hit for Nix and walked, loading the bases for Rollins. Rollins doubled to left, scoring Frandsen and Kratz to tie the game at 3-3 with men on second and third and one out. Pierre bunted on a safety squeeze and Marshall made a fantastic play, getting to the play and throwing across his body in time for Hanigan to apply the tag and avoid Wigginton’s attempt to separate him into two distinct entities. Utley lined to second to leave the runners at first and third.

Righty Jonathan Broxton started the eighth for the Reds with the Phils down 4-3. He walked Howard and Martinez ran for Howard at first, but Mayberry grounded into another double-play, his second in two at-bats, to clear the bases. Brown was next and hit a hard ground ball to second that went through Phillips and was called a single. It put a man on for Frandsen and Frandsen tied the game with a triple to right that scored Brown. 4-4. Kratz grounded to third to leave Frandsen stranded.

Phillips should have made the play on the ball hit by Brown. Calling that a hit instead of an error is a gift. Martinez running for Howard might have mattered a lot — Howard’s spot was on-deck in the bottom of the ninth when Utley struck out swinging to leave Rollins at third.

Lefty Aroldis Chapman started the ninth with the Reds up 5-4. Polanco hit for Papelbon and reached on an infield single. Rollins was next and bunted, but too hard. Chapman fielded and threw to second where Polanco was just out for the first out. Chapman struck out Pierre. Rollins stole second and then third before Utley struck out swinging to end the game.

The Phils have to send the lefty Pierre to the plate with close to no chance of getting a hit against Chapman cause they’re out of righties. The stolen bases by Rollins in the inning could have been key. Chapman overpowered Utley, but had the option to pitch around him with Martinez and not Howard due to hit next for the Phils after Martinez ran for Howard in the eighth.

Rollins was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. He came into the series 1-for-his-last-19, but he’s 3-for-10 in the first two games of this set. He stole two bases that could have been critical in the ninth and was caught stealing in the fifth.

Pierre was 0-for-5 with a strikeout and five men left on base.

Utley 2-for-4 with an error that didn’t hurt the Phils. He’s 6-for-his-last-14.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and an error that did hurt the Phillies in the seventh.

Mayberry 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He grounded into two double-plays and left four men on base.

Brown was 1-for-4 with a single on a ball that is often called an error.

Frandsen 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

Kratz 1-for-4 with a double.

Worley (6-8, 4.11) faces righty Bronson Arroyo (9-7, 3.96) tonight. Opponents have hit .367 against Worley over his last three starts as he’s thrown to a 7.90 ERA. He has a 5.92 ERA in his nine starts since the end of June. Arroyo has walked just 27 in 150 innings this year, which is the best walk rate of his career. He’s been a lot better against righties (238/275/381) than he has against lefties (305/336/480).

The Phillies ushered in a new era last night, hammering Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals 8-0 on the day they traded away Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence.

Cliff Lee was very good in the game, throwing seven shutout innings and getting his second win of the year. Rollins and Frandsen both hit homers and Pierre had three hits. John Mayberry, miserable against righties this year but about to receive an extended second chance, twice reached base against right-handed pitchers.

The Phillies are 46-57 on the year after beating the Washington Nationals 8-0 last night. They are in last place in the NL East, 15 1/2 games behind the first place Nats.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out seven.

Four of Lee’s last five starts have been good. In the other he allowed six runs on 12 hits over seven innings.

Steve Lombardozzi walked to start the bottom of the first, but Lee got three ground balls behind him to keep the Nats off the board.

The Phils were up 2-0 when he started the second. He got the first two before Jesus Flores doubled to center. Lee struck Roger Bernadina out looking to end the inning.

Lee started the third with a 3-0 lead. The pitcher Stephen Strasburg led off with a single and Lombardozzi moved him up to second with another single. Lee struck out Bryce Harper for the first out before Danny Espinosa flew to left for the second out. Michael Morse was next and he singled to left, loading the bases for Tyler Moore. Moore grounded to third to leave them loaded.

No runs for the Nationals on three singles in the frame.

Bernadina singled with two outs in the fourth and the Phillies up 6-0. Strasburg grounded out on a ball handled by Lee for the third out.

Lee set the Nats down in order in the fifth, sixth and again in the seventh. Lefty Chad Tracy hit for the pitcher Tom Gorzelanny and flew to right for the third out in the seventh.

Frandsen made a nice play for the first out in the fifth, diving to his right to field a ball hit by Lombardozzi and throwing to first in time to get the out.

Bastardo got the first two hitters to start the eighth. Kendrick took over to strike switch-hitter Espinosa out swinging for the third out.

Bastardo drops his ERA under five to 4.98 with the two outs. He threw to a 9.72 ERA in July.

Kendrick doesn’t allow a run in July, throwing 15 scoreless innings. Opponents hit .154 against him in July and he struck out 13.

Schwimer struck out Moore, Morse and Mark DeRosa in a 1-2-3 ninth with the Phillies up 8-0.

Schwimer has a 1.96 ERA over his last 18 appearances and has struck out 21 in 18 1/3 innings.

Two perfect innings for the pen in which they strike out five without allowing a hit or a walk. Schwimer threw 14 pitches, Bastardo five and Kendrick four.

The Phillies lineup against righty Stephen Strasburg went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Ruiz (6) Nix (7) Mayberry (8) Frandsen. Lefties Pierre and Nix in left and right. Mayberry in center in the first game since the Victorino trade. Victorino on-based .299 and slugged .346 against righties this year. Seems like the Phillies would be able to improve on that, but Mayberry comes into the game on-basing .262 and slugging .256 against righties. Mayberry’s got a lot of work to do as a righty on a team will soon include lefties Pierre, Brown, Schierholtz and Nix in the outfield. I think it’s safe to say that lefty Mike Fontenot is not a favorite of Manuel’s as Frandsen starts against the righty.

Pierre and Utley singled back-to-back with one out in the top of the first. Howard was next and Lombardozzi made a fantastic play to field the ball and shovel to second to start the double-play that set the Phillies down.

Ruiz doubled to right to start the second. Nix and Mayberry both struck out behind him, but Frandsen hit the first pitch he saw from Strasburg out to center, putting the Phils up 2-0. Lee flew to left for the third out.

Pierre singled with one out in the third and stole second. With Utley at the plate, Pierre took off for third. Flores’s throw to third was on the shortstop side of the bag and into left field for an error. Pierre scored and the Phils were up 3-0. Utley flew to center before Howard walked. Ruiz grounded to second to leave Howard stranded.

Mayberry doubled to left with one out in the fourth. Frandsen was next and grounded to short for the second out. Lee was next and singled into right, scoring Mayberry to put the Phils up 4-0. Lee stole second with Rollins at the plate. Rollins hammered a ball to right on a 2-0 pitch. It hit high off the wall as Harper smashed into the wall. Harper stayed on the ground, either because he was dazed or thought the ball was out, and Rollins tore around the bases, making it all the way home for an inside-the-park two-run homer that put the Phils up 6-0. Pierre flew to left for the third out.

Mayberry doubles off the righty to help get the Phillies their first run of the frame.

Howard singled on a ball deflected by the new pitcher, lefty Tom Gorzelanny, with one out in the fifth. Ruiz flew to right for the second out and Nix struck out for the third.

Mayberry singled to start the sixth, but the Phillies went in order behind him.

Howard struck out swinging at a wild pitch by Gorzelanny with two outs in the seventh and made it to first. Ruiz fouled out to Espinosa to leave him at first.

Mayberry walked off of righty Henry Rodriguez with one out in the eighth. Frandsen flew to left for the second out. The lefty Brown hit for Lee and singled to center, moving Mayberry up to third. Rollins grounded to second to leave both runners stranded.

Again Mayberry reaches base against a righty, this time walking against Rodriguez.

Brown delivers a single in his first plate appearance of the year.

Pierre singled off of Rodriguez to start the ninth and moved to second when Utley followed with a walk. Howard was next and again Lombardozzi made a nice play to take a hit away from him, this time diving to his right and throwing to first for the first out as the runners moved up to second and third. Righty Drew Storen came in to pitch to Ruiz. Ruiz grounded to second with Utley moving up to third and Pierre scoring. 7-0. Nix followed that with a single into center. Utley scored and it was 8-0. Mayberry grounded to second for the third out.

Second time in the game Lombardozzi took a hit away from Howard.

Rollins was 1-for-5 in the game with his tenth homer of the season. He hit 208/276/375 in July.

Pierre was 3-for-5, stole two bases and scored two runs. He has 25 stolen bases for the year with four caught stealings and has been picked off just once. He’s 7-for-his-last-17 (.412).

Utley 1-for-4 with a walk. 2-for-his-last-15.

Howard 1-for-4 with a walk and twice victimized by nice plays from Lombardozzi. 2-for-his-last-15 with nine strikeouts.

Ruiz 1-for-5 with a double. 5-for-his-last-21 (.238). July was his worst month of the season and he hit 288/348/513.

Nix was 1-for-5 and struck out three times. 2-for-12 with seven strikeouts since returning from the DL.

Mayberry 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. The walk and the double both come against righties. 271/327/438 in July.

Frandsen 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. First home run for Frandsen since September 30, 2007 when he was with the Giants. 3-for-7 with the Phils so far.

Worley (5-6, 3.88) faces righty Edwin Jackson (6-6, 3.52) tonight. Worley started July with a 2.92 ERA for the year. In July he made five starts in which he threw to a 6.43 ERA and opponents hit .353 against him. Jackson has allowed one run in 14 innings over his last two starts.

The Phillies did it again last night, roaring to life in the bottom of the eighth to score six runs and beat the Brewers 7-6.

Lee started the top of the eighth down 3-1, but allowed a solo homer and a two-run shot in the frame, putting the Phils in a 6-1 hole. The Phils feasted off the Milwaukee pen in the bottom of the inning, though, after a curious decision to pull Milwaukee starter Zack Greinke after 87 pitches. Erik Kratz delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer to get things started. With two outs and nobody on the Kratz blast looked like all the Phillies would get in the frame, but six straight batters reached for the Phils on four walks, a three-run double by Ruiz and a go-ahead bloop single by Pence. The Phils scored four more times and Papelbon nailed it down in the bottom of the inning.

The bullpen was good for the third straight game for the Phils as Schwimer and Papelbon combined to go two scoreless frames without allowing a hit or a walk. Over the last three games the bullpen has gone nine shutout innings, allowing two hits and four walks.

In the first two games of the set, the Phillies have scored 11 runs off of the Milwaukee bullpen in 3 2/3 innings. In last night’s game, Greinke had retired 14 in a row going back a third-inning single by Rollins before being pulled for the start of the eighth.

The Phillies are 44-54 on the year after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 last night. The Phils have won three in a row and are 7-4 since the All-Star break. They are still in last place in the NL East, 14 games behind the first place Nationals.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing six runs on 12 hits and a walk. Four of the hits went for extra-bases, all home runs. He struck out six. Lee allows more than two home runs in a game for the first time this season. He last allowed four in a game on August 21, 2010 while pitching for the Rangers.

Norichika Aoki was the first batter of the game and singled to left. Carlos Gomez popped to third before Braun moved Aoki to second with a single. Aramis Ramirez was next and he singled to right. Aoki tried to score from second, but Pence threw him out at the plate for the second out. Braun moved up to second. Corey Hart was next and he singled to, this time to left. Braun scored to put Milwaukee up 1-0 with runners on the corners for Rickie Weeks. Weeks grounded to short to end the frame.

Lee gives up four hits in the inning. Gets one of three outs on the bases.

Martin Maldonado, Cesar Izturis and pitcher Zack Greinke went in order in the second with the game tied at 1-1.

Lee set the Brewers down in order in the third and again in the fourth.

Maldonado and Izturis singled back-to-back to start the fifth, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Greinke bunted the runners to second and third with the first out. Lee walked to load the bases for Gomez. During the at-bat, Lee was off the rubber and Maldonado was way off of third. Lee threw over to third and Maldonado was caught, eventually run down and tagged out for the second out. Lee struck Gomez out swinging 0-2 to leave the bases loaded.

Bizarre play to get Maldonado, but it helped Lee get out of the jam.

Braun hit Lee’s first pitch of the sixth out to left, putting the Brewers up 2-1. Hart singled with one out, but Lee got Weeks to ground into a double-play behind him.

Lee struck out Maldonado and Izturis to start the seventh before Greinke homered to left. 3-1. Aoki lined to third for the third out.

Third career home run for Greinke.

Gomez homered to left on Lee’s first pitch of the eighth. 4-1. Braun followed that with a singled before Ramirez hit an 0-2 pitch out to left. 6-1. Schwimer took over for Lee and got the first two hitters he faced before Maldonado reached on an error by Wigginton. Izturis lined to short for the third out.

Lee allowed four home runs in the game. Three of them, Braun, Greinke and Gomez, came on the first pitch of the at-bat. Ramirez’s came 0-2.

Error by Wigginton makes Schwimer get four outs in the frame. He has a 2.20 ERA with a 1.16 ratio over his last 17 appearances.

Papelbon pitched the ninth with the Phils up 7-6 and needed just ten pitches to set Milwaukee down in order. Lefty George Kottarras hit for righty Jeff Bianchi and struck out swinging for the first out. Aoki flew to center for the second and Gomez struck out looking to end the game.

Schwimer’s good inning with the Phillies down by five runs didn’t look like it mattered at all at the time, but the Phils get two scoreless frames from the pen without allowing a hit or a walk.

Schwimer threw 16 pitches and Papelbon ten.

The Phillies lineup against righty Zack Greinke went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Ruiz (6) Pence (7) Wigginton (8) Mayberry. Mayberry in left and Wigginton at third despite both being terrible against righties. Lefties Pierre and Fontenot on the bench.

The Phillies were down 1-0 when they hit in the bottom of the first. Victorino doubled with one out. Utely was next and struck out on a ball not handled by Maldonado. Maldonado threw to first to retire Utley for the second out, but Victorino moved up to third. Howard was next and singled to left, scoring Victorino to tie the game at 1-1. Ruiz grounded to third for the third out.

The Phils went in order in the second.

Rollins singled with one out in the third, but Victorino and Utley went down behind him.

The Phils went in order in the fourth and fifth.

Down 2-1, Rollins, Victorino and Utley went in order in the sixth.

Down 3-1, Greinke set them down in order in the seventh.

It was 6-1 when righty Jose Veras started the eighth. Greinke had not been hit for in the top of the frame and had thrown just 87 pitches in the game. Wigginton led off with a single and moved up to second when Mayberry grounded to second for the first out. Nix hit for Schwimer. Lefty Manny Parra came in to pitch to Nix. Righty Erik Kratz hit for Nix and Kratz hit the first pitch from Parra out to left centet, cutting the lead to 6-3. Rollins lined to left for the second out. Parra walked Victorino and Utley back-to-back. They pulled off a double steal before Parra walked Howard, loading the bases. Fontenot ran for Howard. Righty Kameron Loe came in to pitch to Ruiz. Ruiz got behind in the count, but ripped a 1-2 pitch into the gap in left-center. The double cleared the bases, tying the game at 6-6. Pence was next and he got behind in the count as well, but made a weak swing at an outside 1-2 pitch and blooped a ball that fell for a single in shallow right field, just out of the reach of Weeks. Ruiz scored and the Phils led 7-6. Wigginton walked before Mayberry grounded to short to end the inning.

Rodriguez had a nightmare inning in the first game of the set, this time the Phils jump all over Parra. Parra’s outing went two-run homer, out, walk, walk, double-steal, walk. That’s a lot of walks.

With two outs, nobody on and the Phils down three runs, they score four on four walks, a double and a single.

The Phillies drew nine walks to help them win game one of the set. Last night they only had four walks in the game, but all four of them came with two outs in the eighth inning.

Rollins was 1-for-4.

Victorino 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.

Utley 0-for-3 with a walk and struck out twice.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Pence 1-for-4 with an RBI. He’s 3-for-his-last-26.

Wigginton 1-for-3 with a walk.

Mayberry 0-for-4. He’s now hitting 200/262/262 against righties for the season.

Worley (5-6, 3.82) faces righty Marco Estrada (0-4, 4.10) this afternoon. Worley has a 6.75 ERA with a 1.81 ratio so far in July. Two of his four starts have been awful and the other two solid. Opponents have hit .341 against him this month with ten walks in 22 2/3 innings. Estrada came off the DL at the end of June and has thrown to a 3.58 ERA in five appearances since. Since his return he has allowed 11 runs in 27 2/3 innings. Of those 11 runs, ten have scored on the six home runs he has allowed.

This says that the Phillies and Cole Hamels have agreed to a six-year, $144 million deal.

The Phillies scored three runs in a game for the third straight time yesterday afternoon and this time the pitching wasn’t good enough to make it stand up. Cliff Lee was fantastic, but the bullpen wasn’t and the Dodgers topped the Phils 5-3 in 12 innings.

Lee allowed a solo homer to Juan Rivera, just one of two hits he would allow over eight innings, in the second. The Phils came back with a run in the fourth to tie things up at 1-1 on a single and a stolen base by Victorino and an RBI-single by Ruiz. Nobody scored again until the tenth, when Pence delivered another clutch two-run single, putting the Phils up 3-1. Papelbon, pitching for the third straight day, couldn’t nail down the save, though, as the Dodgers scored a pair of runs on four hits in the bottom of the tenth to tie things up again at 3-3. Matt Kemp hit a two-run homer off of Diekman in the bottom of the twelfth.

You shouldn’t count on winning too many games when you score three runs, but the bullpen is still the biggest problem for the Phillies. Six relievers for the Phils combined to allow four runs over 3 1/3 innings in the game. Manuel appears to have confidence in just about nobody in the bullpen, doing everything he can to make sure the guys he does have to use get favorable left-right match-ups. It makes for a lot of pitching changes — four of the six guys the Phillies used in relief in the game got one out or no outs. Kendrick, probably the second safest option in the pen after Papelbon, faced one hitter in the game.

And Papelbon looks like he’s wearing down himself. He was pitching for the third straight day in yesterday’s game and threw 32 pitches in the game. He got Sunday off after getting five outs on Saturday. He’s allowed at least one run in five of his last ten appearances, throwing to a 6.97 ERA with a 1.74 ratio in those outings. After hitting .200 against him in his 22 appearances through the end of May, opponents have hit .284 against him in his 15 outings since the start of June.

The Phillies are 41-52 on the year after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 in 12 innings yesterday afternoon. The Phils take the series two games to one. They’re still in last place in the NL East, 14 games behind the Nationals.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went eight innings, allowing a run on two hits and one walk. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a home run. He struck out four.

The Phillies have lost seven of the last eight games Lee has started. He’s been very good over his last three starts, allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of the three while throwing to a 2.05 ERA with an 0.95 ratio.

He threw a 1-2-3 first, getting Tony Gwynn and Mark Ellis on ground outs and Matt Kemp swinging.

Juan Rivera led off the second and hit a 1-0 pitch out to left, putting the Dodgers up 1-0. Lee got Jerry Hairston, Juan Uribe and Luis Cruz in order behind Rivera.

LA went in order again in the third. Lee got AJ Ellis to fly to center, pitcher Clayton Kershaw on a grounder to short and Tony Gwynn on a ground ball deflected by Lee to Rollins for the third.

The game was tied 1-1 when Lee threw a 1-2-3 fourth.

LA went in order again in the fifth.

AJ Ellis singled to left to start the sixth and Kershaw bunted him to second with the first out. Gwynn flew to Mayberry for the second out before Lee walked Mark Ellis, putting two Ellisi aboard for Kemp. Lee struck Kemp out swinging 0-2 to leave both runners stranded.

Huge strikeout for Lee to get the righty Kemp with two men on in a tie game.

Rivera, Hairston and Uribe went in order in the seventh.

Lee had thrown 84 pitches through seven innings. He had allowed one hit and one walk since Rivera’s homer to start the bottom of the second.

He threw a 1-2-3 eighth. Lefty Adam Kennedy hit for Kershaw with two outs and grounded to short to end the inning.

Kershaw threw 120 pitches in the game.

Bastardo started the ninth. Mark Ellis singled with one out. Kendrick came in to pitch to Kemp and struck him out for the second out. Lefty Andre Ethier hit for Rivera and Horst came in to pitch to Ethier. Ethier singled to right, moving Ellis up to third. Schwimer came in to pitch to the righty Hairston. Ethier moved up to second on defensive indifference and Schwimer walked Hairston, loading the bases for Uribe. Lefty James Loney hit for Uribe and Schwimer struck him out swinging 2-2 to end the frame.

Huge strikeout for Schwimer to get Loney and keep the game alive. The Phillies use four pitchers in the inning, which is a lot for a game that ended with a righty homering off of a lefty in the twelfth. Kendrick faces just one batter in the game, which hurts a lot (although striking out Kemp in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game with a man on is a good out to get if you’re just going to get one).

Papelbon started the tenth with a 3-1 lead. Cruz led off and lined a double to left. Papelbon struck out AJ Ellis for the first out. Lefty Bobby Abreu hit for the pitcher Scott Elbert. Papelbon got ahead of Abreu 0-2, but Abreu blooped a 2-2 pitch down the third base line and the ball fell in shallow left field for a single. Cruz scored and the lead was cut to 3-2. With Gwynn at the plate, Abreu stole second. Gwynn hit a swinging bunt on a 3-1 pitch that dribbled off the third base side of the mound for another single, moving Abreu up to third. Papelbon struck Mark Ellis out swinging 0-2, which brought Kemp to the plate with two down, men on the corners and the Phils still up a run. Kemp hit Papelbon’s first pitch in the hole between short and third. Rollins made a fantastic effort, backhanding and making a strong throw to first, but Kemp just beat it out for another infield single. Abreu scored to tie the game at 3-3 with men on first and second for Ethier. Ethier flew to left to leave both runners stranded.

Four hits in the inning for the Dodgers. Cruz’s double was hit hard. Abreu’s single to left was a bloop, Gwynn reached on a swinging bunt dribbler and Kemp just beat out an infield single.

Big stolen base for the 38-year-old Abreu allows him to move up to third on one infield single and score on another.

Diekman started the eleventh. Cruz doubled to left with two outs and Diekman walked the righty AJ Ellis intentionally to pitch to the pitcher Josh Lindbloom. Righty Matt Treanor hit for the pitcher Lindbloom and grounded to Rollins to end the inning.

Diekman was back to start the twelfth. He walked righty Mark Ellis with one out, bringing Kemp to the plate. The righty hit a 1-0 pitch from Diekman well out to center, giving LA a 5-3 win.

Second time Kemp delivers, tying the game with the infield single in the tenth and winning it in the twelfth.

The pen goes 3 1/3 innings in the game, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks. Four of the six pitchers who pitched for the Phillies after Lee left got one out or no outs.

Papelbon has a 5.52 ERA over his last 14 appearances going back to June 4.

Off day today, so everyone should be available on Friday. Papelbon threw 32 pitches and Diekman 30.

The Phillies lineup against lefty Clayton Kershaw went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Ruiz (5) Pence (6) Wigginton (7) Polanco (8) Mayberry. Utley plays against the lefty with the off-day tomorrow. Howard and Pierre on the bench. Wigginton at first and Mayberry in left. Mayberry is slugging .505 against lefties for the year, so I’d hit him ahead of Polanco (who’s on-basing .283 against left-handed pitching this season).

The Phillies went in order in the first and again in the second.

They started the third down 1-0. Polanco lined softly to second for the first out. Mayberry was next and hit a ball to Uribe at third. Uribe fielded, but his throw to first was bad for an error. Lee bunted Mayberry to second with the second out, but Rollins struck out swinging to leave him there.

Victorino singled to left to start the fourth and stole second after Utley flew to center for the first out. Ruiz was next and singled into center, scoring Victorino to tie the game at 1-1. Pence struck out and Wigginton flew to right to leave Ruiz at first.

Polanco, Mayberry and Lee went in order in the fifth.

Utley and Ruiz singled back-to-back with two outs in the sixth, putting runners on first and second for Pence. Pence grounded to second to leave both men stranded.

Wigginton, Polanco and Mayberry went in order in the seventh.

Kershaw had thrown 101 pitches through seven innings.

Lee hit for himself to start the eighth and struck out. Rollins grounded to short for the second out before Victorino doubled to left. Utley grounded to second to set the Phillies down.

Lee had thrown 84 pitches in the game when he hit for himself to start the eighth.

Righty Kenley Jansen started the ninth and got the first two hitters. Howard hit for Wigginton and singled to right. Polanco walked behind him and Pierre ran for Howard at second. Mayberry walked on five pitches to load the bases and Pridie hit for Lee. Pridie flew to left on a 1-2 pitch to leave them loaded.

Righty Javy Guerra walked Rollins to start the tenth and Victorino bunted Rollins to second with the first out. Guerra walked the lefty Utley intentionally, putting two men on for Ruiz. Ruiz walked and the bases were loaded. Pence chopped a single into left, scoring Rollins and Utley to put the Phils up 3-1. Lefty Scott Elbert came in to pitch to Pierre and got Pierre to hit into a double-play to end the frame.

Second time in two games that Pence comes up with a clutch two-run single. Didn’t win the game this time.

Mayberry singled off of righty Josh Lindbloom with one out in the eleventh and the game tied at 3-3. Fontenot hit for Papelbon and struck out for the second out. Rollins struck out to leave Mayberry stranded.

Victorino singled off of righty Jamey Wright to start the twelfth. Victorino stole second and the righty Wright walked Utley intentionally. Ruiz flew to left for the first out. Pence was next and grounded to third with Utley forced at second for the second. Pierre grounded to second to leave both runners stranded.

Nothing for the Phils after putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Ruiz can’t move anybody up with the first out. Pierre leaves two men on to end the tenth and the twelfth.

Rollins was 0-for-5 with a walk in the game. 2-for-12 with two walks, a double and a home run in the series. 258/314/417 for the year.

Victorino 3-for-5 with a double and two stolen bases in the game. 6-for-12 with a double and a triple in the series. 254/317/392 on the year.

Utley 1-for-4 with two walks. 1-for-11 with three walks in the series. 226/288/340 in 59 plate appearances for the year.

Ruiz 2-for-5 with a walk and an RBI. 3-for-11 with two walks and a double in the set. 350/413/586 on the season.

Pence 1-for-6 with two RBI. 3-for-12 with two walks and four RBI in the series. He’s had huge hits in three of the last four games — two run singles in each of the last two and a three-run homer on Sunday. 277/344/470 for the season.

Wigginton 0-for-3. 0-for-4 in the series. 239/312/387 for the year. 171/241/303 over his last 83 plate appearances. He’s hitting .216 against lefties for the season, but with a lot of walks and power (216/344/432).

Polanco 0-for-4 with a walk. 1-for-11 in the series. 256/300/327 on the year. 4-for-his-last-40.

Mayberry 1-for-4 with a walk. 1-for-5 with a walk in the set. 233/272/370 for the season. The Phillies need him to at least hit lefties and he’s on-basing .265 against them (260/265/490).

The Phillies don’t play today. Giants at home on Friday.