Posted: Friday, 30 July 2010 5:09AM
After Oswalt Acquisition, Phillies Win Eighth Straight
PHILADELPHIA - Wilson Valdez helped Philadelphia celebrate its acquisition of pitcher Roy Oswalt with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep and won their eighth consecutive game with a 3-2 win over Arizona.
The Phillies acquired the ace right-hander from Houston earlier Thursday to bolster the club's starting rotation as the stretch run gets underway. Oswalt flew to Washington, D.C. on Thursday night and will start for his new team when Philadelphia opens a weekend road series against the Nationals on Friday.
Kyle Kendrick pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-hit ball, and Raul Ibanez homered in Philadelphia's 11th straight win at home. Kendrick yielded one run and struck out five with three walks for the Phillies, who now sit 2 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
"I tried to get into a groove early and I threw a lot of pitches," said Kendrick. "I was happy to pitch into the seventh inning."
Miguel Montero hit his third home run of the season and finished with two RBI for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven straight games.
"It's just frustrating to not score runs," said Arizona manager Kirk Gibson. "We were hoping we could push more runs across."
Joe Saunders made his first start with the D'Backs after he was traded to Arizona in the Dan Haren deal on Sunday. Saunders was charged with two runs on nine hits and four strikeouts over seven innings.
Cody Ransom drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 11th off of Esmerling Vasquez (1-4) and moved to second base when Carlos Ruiz singled. Valdez then stepped to the plate and laced a base hit to center field. The throw from Chris Young partially hit the pitcher's mound, which helped Ransom slide safely into home plate as the Phillies celebrated the victory.
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ransom singled and raced around to score when Ruiz followed with a double down the line in left field.
In the sixth, Ibanez led off with his ninth home run of the season for a 2-0 advantage.
The visitors cut their deficit in half in the top of the seventh via a one- out, solo homer by Montero. Mark Reynolds followed with a single, which prompted a change on the mound. Chad Durbin replaced Kendrick and he was greeted by a base hit by Stephen Drew to put runners on the corners. Durbin, though, escaped trouble when he induced a 4-6-3 double play.
"That was a big win for us," said Ibanez. "Everybody contributed -- there were some big double plays, which proved to be crucial as the game went on."
After Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, manager Charlie Manuel opted to stay with Madson to start the ninth. Leadoff batter Justin Upton doubled down the line in right field, forcing Manuel to bring in southpaw reliever J.C. Romero to face Adam LaRoche. LaRoche singled to shallow right field, but the speedy Upton was held at third.
With runners on the corners and no outs, Montero's chopper groundout to shortstop allowed Upton to cross the plate and the score was tied. Two consecutive walks loaded the bases before Romero induced a 4-6-3 double play to prevent further damage.
Brad Lidge pitched a perfect top of the 10th for the Phils, who loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the frame for Ryan Howard, who struck out.
Philly reliever Jose Contreras (5-3) pitched a scoreless 11th.
Game Notes
Philadelphia sent left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ along with prospects Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar to Houston. The Phillies also received cash along with Oswalt...Ibanez has 49 RBI this season...The Phillies outhit the D'Backs, 12-7...Valdez finished 3-for-5...The eight straight wins is a season- high for Philly...This marked the first perfect homestand with a length of at least six games for the Phils since August 6-12, 1991.
Story Copyright 2010, Reuters
Photo Copyright 2010, Getty Images
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