Astros 7, Phillies 6
WP: Wright
LP: Bastardo
Down the street the dogs are barkin’
And the day is a-gettin’ dark
As the night comes in a-fallin’
The dogs’ll lose their bark
An’ the silent night will shatter
From the sounds inside my mind
For I’m one too many mornings
And a thousand miles behind
So now we’re done with Philadelphia. They aren’t going to miss us, not going to be upset because the Astros will be gone from the NL because Houston is 35-23 against them since 2004, 18-15 in the last five seasons of free fall.
It’s a little like a divorce with children. Even though she’s sent Wade packing, the Astros still carry the fruits of their union forward; in this case most notably in the form of Jonathan Singleton, one of the great hopes for the future.
Lyles started this one by giving up a double to Rollins, who scored after two sacrifices. Halladay didn’t have his best stuff by far, but then again he was facing the Astros, tonic for weakness all season long. He held them down until Moore took an outside fastball to the opposite field for a 2-1 lead.
Lyles pitched well through most of the fifth, striking out Martinez and Halladay to lead off that frame but then Rollins singled, stole second and went to third on a bad throw. Pierre doubled him in to tie, followed by an intentional walk to Utley so Lyles could face the lumbering and still somewhat off-balance Ryan Howard. Howard smacked an offering to the wall in left for a double though, scoring both runners before being thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.
That 4-2 lead held up for another inning until Corporan crushed a splitter that didn’t break sharply off the facing in right. Halladay was clearly gassed by this point but he regrouped to get Greene looking.
Tony D pressed the only advantage he had by opening the floodgates, swamping the Phils with waves of substitutions, wearing them down in a battle of attrition and hoping for luck to roll his way.
From the crossroads of my doorstep
My eyes they start to fade
As I turn my head back to the room
Where my love and I have laid
An’ I gaze back to the street
The sidewalk and the sign
And I’m one too many mornings
An’ a thousand miles behind
It happened in the bottom of the seventh, when Manuel was manuvered into replacing Bastardo with Aumont, who has been nothing short of completely unreliable. Without retiring a batter, he gave up a bases-loading walk, then cleared them by serving up a double to Maxwell and a single to Dominguez, turning the score to 7-4 in favor of the Good Guys.
The waves continued, as Cedeno struck out Howard and then was replaced by Mickey Storey, whose 69-80 mph arsenal and shaky command plunked Ruiz and gave up a single to Mayberry and a double to Brown. Lopez was called upon and he nailed down the five-out save. The Phillies have all but shit the bed in this wheezing gasp of a bid for postseason glory, and they can take no solace in the knowledge that they beat themselves while facing the weakest team on their schedule.
It’s a restless hungry feeling
That don’t mean no one no good
When ev’rything I’m a-sayin’
You can say it just as good.
You’re right from your side
I’m right from mine
We’re both just one too many mornings
An’ a thousand miles behind
Philadelphia takes its spot in the rear view mirror now, and the Astros go on the road to St. Louis and their last visit to Missouri as Senior Loop denizens. Pull back the curtain in the Game Zone and follow along.