A Pyrrhic Victory

(originally posted 5/23/07)
Sometimes a victory just isn't worth the cost. The Phillies returned to the .500 mark tonight with an 8-7 10-inning win in Florida. But after watching the horrors that transpired in the bottom of the 9th inning, I would gladly have conceded a loss, if it meant that half-inning could be erased. The horror of those moments could very well haunt Phillies fans for the rest of this season.

Things went pretty well for the Phillies for most of the game. SP Freddy Garcia pitched adequately, allowing three earned runs in his six innings of work. The Phillies roughed up wild Marlins SP Byung-Hyun Kim for six (!) walks and five hits over five and a third innings. They managed to score four runs off Kim, but it should have been many more (15 LOB in the game).

The Phillies took a slim 4-3 lead into the 9th inning, where they broke through for three runs. With a 7-3 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, a Phillies win seemed likely. Until the Phillies started shooting themselves. In the head. With bazookas.

Even though it was a non-save situation, Phillies MGR Charlie Manuel trotted out closer Brett Myers to start the 9th. (Why, Charlie, why?) Possibly due to the fact that he had wasted Ryan Madson for two innings in the previous night's loss. Perhaps because he has no confidence in Clay Condrey or Francisco Rosario. Either way, his overuse of Myers is inexcusable. Myers never should have been in the game.

Myers allowed two weak singles, followed by a drilled triple that cut the lead to 7-5. Hanley Ramirez then bunted to 1B Greg Dobbs, who took the unassisted out at 1B. At least that's what Dobbs should have done. Instead, he opted to throw towards the plate, even though C Rod Barajas wasn't actually in the vicinity of the plate. The runner scored easily, making the score 7-6, with still no outs. Myers bunched two strikeouts around a HBP, and allowed a single to left, to load the bases. Except that Marlins 3B coach tried to score Ramirez. Inexplicable. Ramirez was out by quite a bit at home plate. The Marlins had shot themselves. It was another win for the Fightin' Phils. Well, it would have been, if C Rod Barajas hadn't allowed Ramirez to slide underneath his legs, as he applied a high tag. Inexplicable. Barajas and Manuel both were ejected from the game, after they voiced their displeasure over the (correct) call. (Finally, some good news.) But the game was tied.

Then, things somehow got even worse. The next Myers pitch was wild, and he grabbed his arm in pain. He left the game immediately. Early reports are indicating he has a shoulder strain. It looked much, much worse. It could very well be a season-ending injury for Myers. At best, he seems likely to miss some time. Due to an injury sustained in a game he should not even have been involved in. Clay Condrey came in and managed to get out of the inning, by making an excellent defensive play on a line drive that almost went through him. Abraham Nunez had an RBI single in the top of the 10th, and Condrey closed out the win (for real, this time) in the bottom of the inning. But it's not much of a win, if it's cost is the rest of Myers' season.