IS BUYING CROSS-COUNTRY SKIS
ATLANTA — Ryan Howard’s reputation is built on his skills, but also on supposed intangibles. He might not sport the highest on-base percentage, his fans say, and sure, he strikes out too much. But Howard can carry a team in the late summer, when they need it most.
If not for Howard, the Phillies might well have been swept in an important weekend series. The slugger won Friday’s game with a ninth-inning home run, and his pair of homers last night guided the Phils to a 4-1 victory, and a two-out-of-three series win against Atlanta at Turner Field. J.A Happ went 72/3 innings to earn the win, and Brad Lidge retired the one batter he faced to nab the save.
It was a significant game for both teams, as both tried to claim victory in an important divisional series.
"It was big," Howard said of the win. "Right now, we’re in the second week of August. We’re going into September. … You’ve got to be able to handle your division."
When Florida swept the Phillies at home last weekend, the Phils wasted a chance to dishearten a key rival. Their goal in Atlanta was to take hope away from the Braves, bury them in the standings, and prove they were an inferior team.
They did not accomplish that in the first two games of this intense series. The Phils won Friday on a ninth-inning home run by Ryan Howard, and a barely earned save by Brad Lidge. On Saturday, Lidge allowed Atlanta to even the series when he blew a one-run lead in the ninth to give the Braves a 4-3 win.
That left last night to define the weekend. A 97-minute rain delay halted the action, which began at 9:47 p.m. Howard led of the second inning with home run, handing J.A. Happ a one-run lead.
"To be honest, I was really anxious during that delay," Happ said. "I knew it was a big game."
Happ (9-2, 2.66 ERA) dodged trouble in characteristic fashion for most of the night. He hit a batter and allowed a double in the first, but escaped without allowing any runs. He issued a two-out walk in the second, but ended the inning by striking out pitcher Javier Vazquez. Happ walked leadoff hitter Omar Infante in the third, but closed the inning with a fielder’s choice and double play.
Happ’s success this season has been the result of superior command of his pitches, but the lefthander was wilder than usual at the outset last night. (In addition, home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt’s strike zone was not a generous one.)
When Matt Diaz tied the game with a solo home run with one out in the fourth, Happ and thrown 44 pitches — 23 balls, 21 strikes. He ended up throwing 117 pitches, 55 for strikes.
The offense stalled against Vazquez in the three innings that followed Howard’s homer. After that run, the Atlanta starter did not allow a hit until Pedro Feliz singled with one out in the fifth, but Carlos Ruiz erased him by bouncing into a fielder’s choice, and Happ grounded out to end the inning.
Jimmy Rollins began with a sixth by rolling a single into shallow right field. Shane Victorino then lined a base hit to roughly the same spot. After Utley struck out, Howard blasted another home run, this one to right field. That put the Phillies up by 4-1.
Happ placed himself in another precarious situation in the bottom of the innings, allowing two walks and a hit to load the bases. But Ryan Church flied to left with two out, preserving the lead that Howard built.
"I think he was our offense, wasn’t he?" Manuel said. "That’s why I call him the big piece."
Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.
