It's old home week in Cleveland as a lot of ex-Phillies and Indians mix it up. Last night Jose Mesa, who will forever be seen as the arch villain by generations of Cleveland fans for blowing a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1997 World Series, came in to stop an Indians' rally dead in its tracks and preserve the Phillies lead and eventual 9-6 win. Moments earlier, ex-Phil Jason Michaels, who replaced ex-Phil David Dellucci when the left-fielder blew a hamstring earlier in the game, had delivered a two run single to cut the Phillies lead and set up Mesa's saving appearance. Are you following this?
While all of these alumni were figuring mightily in the outcome of the game, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard sparked the Phils with their bats. J-Roll led off the game with a surprise bunt single and eventually came around to score the first of three runs in the opening frame. Howard knocked in four runs with a single, double and home run. It was reassuring to see a "vintage" performance by Howard who since returning from the DL had more or less either homered or struck out in the majority of his plate appearances. His single over the first baseman's glove in the first inning and the later line-drive double must have felt as good if not better to him than the second-deck blast that traveled an estimated 451 feet.
Rookie Kyle Kendrick earned his first big league victory in his second start by pitching six quality innings as defined by today's standards, six innings and 3 or fewer earned runs. Frankly, by the standards set by somel Phillies starters of late, Kendrick's performance was true quality.
Tonight, Jon Lieber, who sandwiched a complete game shutout victory over Kansas City with two horrendous outings in which he gave up 11 earned runs in 10 innings while yielding 20 hits, gets the start in the rubber match. He will be opposed by one of the American League's premier pitchers in C.C. Sabathia, who brings a 9-2 record into the game.
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