Phils rally for five in ninth, down Brewers in extras
Milwaukee, WI - Wes Helms hit a two-run double in the 11th inning as the Philadelphia Phillies came back to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6, to salvage the finale of a three-game set at Miller Park.
Aaron Rowand finished 3-for-6 with three runs batted in, including a two-run game-tying single in the top of the ninth inning, that saw the Phillies score five in the frame.
Jayson Werth had a two-run home run and Tadahito Iguchi added three hits and two runs scored for the Phillies, who snapped a brief two-game losing skid.
Brett Myers (2-3) earned the win in relief, pitching 1 1/3 innings, giving up only one hit while striking out a batter. Jose Mesa recorded his first save of the season. Starter Adam Eaton struggled through 4 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander gave up six runs on nine hits. He walked three and struck out three.
Geoff Jenkins went 4-for-6 with three RBI and rookie Ryan Braun hit his 20th homer of the season for Milwaukee, which had a two-game winning streak halted.
Manny Parra (0-1) was tagged with his first major league loss. The left-hander gave up two runs on two hits, while walking a pair in one inning pitched. Jeff Suppan started and pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on five hits, while striking out three.
With the Brewers holding a 6-1 lead, Matt Wise was brought in for the ninth and after Helms reached first on an error by Wise, Werth hit a two-run homer to left to make it 6-3. Milwaukee then turned to closer Francisco Cordero and the big righty struggled mightly. After retiring Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins walked, Iguchi singled and Pat Burrell drew a free pass to load the bases with two outs. Ryan Howard was then hit by a pitch to bring in a run and Rowand’s ground single under the glove of third baseman Braun plated two more to tie the game at 6-6. Helms, batting for the second time in the inning, flied out to left to end the frame.
“It’s frustrating,” Cordero said. “It was bad tonight. It was 6-1 going into the ninth inning and we couldn’t hold on to the lead. But today is over and we go on to Colorado now.”
Milwaukee got a runner on in the bottom of the ninth off Phils reliever J.C. Romero when Kevin Mench walked, but the lefty struck out Jenkins before giving way to Myers, who struck out Damian Miller to force the game into extra innings.
After both teams failed to score in the 10th, the Phillies got a pair in the top of the 11th. Howard got things going with a two-out walk and Rowand singled, putting runners on first and second. Helms then doubled down the right-field line, plating two and giving the Phils the 8-6 advantage.
Mesa came in for the bottom of the 11th and was helped by a great catch by Rowand. Braun led off and hit a line drive to deep center. Rowand went back and made a leaping catch before slamming into the wall. Prince Fielder then grounded out, but Mench walked and Jenkins doubled to right, putting runners on second and third. Pinch-hitter Johnny Estrada was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Craig Counsell, bidding for a base hit, lined out to second base to end the game.
“It was a big win for us,” Helms said. “We have to win right now to gain some ground. It’s a big win, especially down 6-1. Everyone contributed. Everyone got big hits.”
Milwaukee got off to a quick start, posting four runs in the first inning. Corey Hart led off the game with a base hit and after Eaton retired J.J. Hardy and Braun, Fielder drew a walk. Mench then hit a double down the right-field line, scoring Hart. Jenkins’ double off the center-field fence plated two more and a run-scoring ground-rule double by Miller gave the Brewers the early lead.
The Phillies attempted to get something going in the fifth. With Greg Dobbs on second and Coste on first, manager Charlie Manuel elected to let Eaton hit with two outs and the Philadelphia pitcher hit a soft grounder back to the mound to end the threat.
Philadelphia managed a run in the sixth when Iguchi and Burrell reached base with one-out singles. After Howard popped out, Rowand grounded a single to short, scoring Iguchi and making it 4-1.
Braun’s leadoff home run in the fifth and RBI single by Jenkins upped the Brewers lead to 6-1.
Philadelphia had a golden opportunity to put some more runs on the board in the eighth inning. Rollins drew a leadoff walk and Iguchi followed with a double, putting runners on second and third with no outs. The Brewers then went to the bullpen and brought in Scott Linebrink to replace Carlos Villanueva and the right-hander, acquired just before the major league trade deadline, struck out Burrell, Howard and Rowand to get out of trouble.
Game Notes
Attendance was 43,716…The Phillies will welcome the Florida Marlins to Citizens Bank Park to begin a three-game set on Tuesday night, while the Brewers will travel to Colorado for a three-game series versus the Rockies on Monday night…The Phillies snapped a seven-game losing streak at Miller Park…Burrell extended his hit streak to 14 games, tying a career high…Philadelphia improved to 6-7 in extra inning games this season, while Milwaukee fell to 6-4.
