Phillies Collapse Yet Again

The Phillies collapsed tonight as they have so often this season, as the bullpen yet again coughed up a lead and served the Nationals a win on a silver platter. In the end the Phillies fell by a score of 8 to 5 as they dropped their second straight.

Cliff Lee took the mound for the Phillies tonight and did enough to keep the Phillies in the game before the inevitable bullpen collapse happened. Lee tossed six innings, scattering three runs on seven hits. Jake Diekman took over in the seventh and was tonight’s choice for “Phillies relief pitcher to blow the game.” Diekman would share that honor tonight, as after he allowed two runs in two-thirds of an inning, Zach Miner came in to allow three more runs, while only recording one out. Luis Garcia stopped the bleeding, tossing a scoreless eighth, but it was too late.

The Phillies jumped out to an early lead tonight, as they scored four runs in the second inning. Darin Ruf cracked his sixth home run of the season, bringing home Dom Brown in the process. After a successful squeeze bunt by Cliff Lee, Jimmy Rollins singled home Michael Martinez. The Nats took two runs back in the fourth and another in the sixth, before the epic bullpen collapse in the seventh handed them the game. Dom Brown homered in the eighth for his 26th of the season, but that would be all she wrote as the Phillies fell to the Nationals yet again.

The Phillies will finish off their series with the Nationals tomorrow. Kyle Kendrick will have the unfortunate pleasure of facing off against Stephen Strasburg.

By: Kyle Babcock
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