Phils Win on Ibanez Walkoff

Raul Ibanez had the big hit in Sunday's game, a walkoff two-run homer that secured a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over the Padres. But Manager Charlie Manuel was the key to the Phillies' win. In a day that began with a TastyKake Cake, and ended with a cream pie, it was Manuel's machinations that made the difference for Philadelphia.

The Padres had to be feeling pretty confident going into Sunday's game. They had beaten the Phillies twice in a row, and the Phillies' top two relievers, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson, were likely unavailable for Sunday's matchup. Chan Ho Park was available to make his start for the Phillies. Unfortunately for the Phils, Park hasn't been a good starting pitcher since the Padres had a twenty-three year old future ace named Adam Eaton. Manuel pulled the strings further, by starting Eric Bruntlett over Jimmy Rollins and Matt Stairs over Jayson Werth. Seeing Bruntlett batting second, and an outfield featuring Ibanez and Stairs at the corners, had to make San Diego more than a little complacent. Manuel's moves defied conventional wisdom, sneered at common sense, and displayed a considerable level of disdain for The UZR Movement. However, Manuel's genius would soon become apparent to all.

Chan Ho Park performed about as well as expected. His outing was adversely affected by some poor outfield defense, which included Ibanez misplaying a single into a triple. But he was also aided by some strong defense, most notably by Ryan Howard, who seems focused on earning the $100K Gold Glove incentive that was wisely included in his contract extension. The net result for Park was five innings, with four runs allowed, on eight hits and a walk. Park left the game with a 4-0 deficit, and a -.169 WPA for his efforts, but did manage to further increase his probability of joining the Phillies bullpen before J.C Romero does. J.A. Happ's three scoreless innings (.085 WPA) also aided Park with that particular probability.

The Phillies entered the bottom of the sixth with a WE of 10.1%. Manuel had the Padres right where he wanted them. Chase Utley finally solved San Diego starter Josh Geer, launching a two-run homer which cut the deficit in half. Jimmy Rollins came off the bench in the eighth, and blasted a solo homer off Padres reliever Edward Mujica. The Phillies entered the ninth still trailing by a run, with a WE of only 20.9%. The final piece of Manuel's plan was about to come into play.

Greg Maddux, brother of Phillies great Mike Maddux, was known to set up batters in advance. He would groove pitches in Spring Training, to increase his chances of success against those batters when the games started to count. Manuel had maneuvered the Padres into using closer Heath Bell to finish the two San Diego wins that began the four-game set. As a result, Bell was unavailable for Sunday's game. Manuel's innovative adaptation of Maddux' ploy resulted in a save opportunity for Edwin Moreno, who had all of seven innings worth of MLB experience. Ryan Howard started the inning with a single, and Ibanez followed with a drive towards the right field seats. The Phillies' WE soared with the blast, as Moreno attempted to keep the ball in the park by waving it down. If there exists a man who can control the laws of physics and probability with his bare hands, his name is not Edwin Moreno. Ibanez' walk-off homer disappeared into the crowd in right field, and the Phillies had improved their record to 5-6.

The day began with a pregame ceremony, one of the traditions of the 2009 Phillies. The birthday of the greatest mascot/Galapagos Island native in baseball history, the Phillie Phanatic, was celebrated with a gaggle of bonus mascot appearances, and a tantalizing cake. The cake (kake?) was made up of several types of TastyKakes, including Butterscotch Krimpets, Cupcakes, and Kandy Kakes. The Greatest of All TastyKakes, The Chocolate Junior, appeared to be absent from this delicious combination of culinary delights. A culinary delight of somewhat lesser magnitude (McCarthy-esque transition alert!) appeared in the postgame, when Ibanez' interview was cut short by a cream pie to the face, courtesy of Shane Victorino.

Philadelphia will attempt to even their season record at 6-6, and ensure a series split with the Padres, in Monday night's series finale. Jamie Moyer will take the mound for the Phillies, opposed by San Diego starter Kevin Correia. Correia is probably best known for attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the alma mater of former Phillies ace Mike Krukow. Moyer is probably best known for his two hundred and forty-seven career wins, which is only one hundred and eight fewer than Mike Maddux' brother, Greg.