It was a cold game.
I was half surprised to see that none of the players in Game Three of the Colorado-Philadelphia series were wearing ice skates. Nobody seemed to suffer from frostbite, either. In fact, the bats somehow remained incredibly hot even in the most frigid of temperatures... 35 degrees at the START of the four-hour game, which tied for the coldest game-time temperature in postseason history.
The game featured 18 hits and eleven runs, an extremely high number considering that the dugouts were nicely heated and the base paths were downright chilly.
It was a close game.
The Phillies struck first with a Chase Utley solo shot in the top of the first and I found myself smiling because rookie starting pitcher J.A. Happ has been a scrooge with earned runs all season long.
Well, until last night anyway. He didn’t hold the lead long. He gave up two runs in the first and another in the third and left the game after only three innings.
He allowed five hits and two walks altogether and most of that damage came from the bat of Garrett Atkins, a man who I never had any beef with before yesterday but suddenly found myself cursing his name loudly and often as he seemed bent on giving the Rockies a one-game lead single-handedly.
But, the seesaw battle changed tone in the top of the fourth when the Phillies exploded for three runs (without a long ball, for once). When Raul Ibañez drew a bases-loaded walk I felt the momentum change. I knew the Phillies were going to win. I just knew it.
Well, until the bottom of the same inning when #%@!ing Carlos Gonzalez went deep and tied the game at four. It hurt, don’t get me wrong, but I would be remiss if I did not point out that the Phillies’ bullpen (considered its biggest weakness) came through as its biggest strength last night, giving up only two runs in six innings!
Fortunately, another Carlos (Mr. Ruiz) came through in the clutch again for the Phils with an RBI single in the sixth. I was able to ramble on about how much he improved this season (and, how this crucial hit ACTUALLY LEFT THE INFIELD) to anybody who cared for a full inning before the blasted Rockies showed their resilience yet again and knotted the game up at five a piece in the bottom of the 7th.
That’s when I looked for the Rolaids. R-O-L-A-I-D-S may spell “relief” (as the old ad slogan goes), but I knew that a late-inning tied game favored the Rockies.
It was a crazy game... and a loooong one, too.
There were 12 pitchers in the game altogether, and it didn’t even go to extra innings.
I certainly couldn’t have predicted the 9th inning, to be sure. I certainly didn’t see Utley get hit by the ball in his “Excuse Me” single, and I’m guessing he actually didn’t feel it since he had probably been numb from the baseball hat down for about four hours before it happened.
That was a big play and a blown call, but it didn’t cost the Rockies the game. After all, they faced the shakiest closer in postseason on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, and had men on first and second.
Yet, despite the all-too-familiar scenario for Philly fans, Brad Lidge came through when it counted most, proving you can blow eleven saves and go 0-8 for the year with a 7.21 ERA and it means nothing if you can come through in the playoffs.
Now, he’s one-for-one in saves with an ERA of 0.00 and the Phillies have taken a lead in the only truly exciting first round playoff series in baseball. No chance for a sweep in this series, just one crazy game after another. I can't wait for Game Four.
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