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Phillies nip Rox in 4; move on to NLCS
By Daniel Dullum October 12, 2009 |
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Philadelphia baseball fans were worried that if things got tight in the National League Divisional Series with Colorado, their closer, Brad Lidge, wouldn’t be up to the task. But as things worked out, it was Lidge who regained his knack for closing ball games, and Rockies closer Huston Street who would lay a couple of eggs. In the ninth inning of game four at Coors Field in Denver, Ryan Howard hit a two-run double and scored on a single by Jayson Werth, completing a three-run rally off of Street. Then, for the second straight day, Lidge shut down the Rockies for his second straight save, as Philadelphia edged Colorado 5-4 to claim the NLDS 3 games-to-1. It was the second consecutive blown save by Street, who converted 35 of 37 save opportunities in the regular season for Colorado. The Phillies will remain on the road, as they’ll visit Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for game one of the National League Championship Series on Thursday against the NL West champion Dodgers. In the eighth inning, Colorado catcher Yorvit Torrealba cracked a two-run double to break a 2-all tie. Torrealba’s hit came after Dexter Fowler scored the tying run on a two-out single by pinch-hitter Jason Giambi. Lidge entered the game with two out and two on in the ninth, striking out Troy Tulowitzki to end the game, and the series. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo homer by Shane Victorino and made it 2-0 in the sixth on a solo shot by Werth. Reliever Ryan Madsen, who replaced starter Cliff Lee, picked up the win for Philadelphia, while Street lost his second straight decision of the NLDS. This was the fourth year in a row that none of the opening divisional series in either league went to a deciding fifth game. The American League Championship series between the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees starts on Friday in New York. |
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