Phillies Take Game 2 Against Error-Prone Reds
Phillies beat Reds 7-4 for two-game playoff lead
AP
Cincinnati Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan, right, looks on as Philadelphia Phillies' Raul Ibanez, left, celebrates after teammate Chase Utley (26) scored during the seventh inning of Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010, in Philadelphia.
It's not everyday that a team without an extra-base hit wins a playoff game.
Thanks to four Reds errors and a slew of walks and hit batters by Cincinnati pitching the Phillies overcame a rocky start from Roy Oswalt to win 7-4 in Game 2 of the NLDS Friday night.
Oswalt put the Phillies in a 4-0 hole by allowing three earned runs on five hits, a walk and two homers while lasting only five innings.
Little Roy wasn’t helped by a pair of Chase Utley errors that allowed a run to score in the second.
But from the start Oswalt didn’t look comfortable as he allowed a lead-off homer to Brandon Phillips to give the Reds their first hit of the series after being no-hit by Roy Halladay in Game 1.
Utley made up for his errors by knocking in two runs in the fifth then he set off a bizarre series of events in the seventh.
Utley started the inning against Reds lefty Aroldis Chapman (0-1) by apparently getting hit on the hand by a 101-mph fastball. But upon review it wasn’t clear if the ball actually hit Utley. He was then safe at second on a close fielders choice and then he apparently missed third base while scoring the tying run on a misplayed fly ball off the bat of Jimmy Rollins. Jayson Werth would also come around on the play to put the Phillies up 5-4.
Charlie Manuel said he thought Utley was hit by the pitch and he gave a classic Charlie explanation when asked how bad Utley was hit, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
"How bad was Utley hit? Charlie Manuel: 'Bad enough to take his base.'"
The Phightins would add another run in the seventh on a Carlos Ruiz grounder and in the eighth on a Werth single to round out the scoring.
All the Reds mistakes cost Bronson Arroyo the win despite 5 1/3 innings pitched while giving up four hits and only one earned run.
Jose Contreras (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to take the win and Brad Lidge came in for his first save of the postseason.
The Phillies now head to Cincy with a commanding two-game lead in the Best-of-5 series. Cole Hamels will look to put away the Reds Sunday night.
