J. A. Happ started this game, but he didn't go very long. He really struggled in the 1rst inning, giving up 4 hits and 2 runs. He settled down a little bit but was never really hitting his spots. He had trouble throwing strikes, and really did not look well.
The back-end of the bullpen actually looked good today. Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, and Brad Lidge all pitched scoreless inning in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. Scotty Eyre did roll his ankle while fielding a bunt. His status for the rest of the series is uncertain.
It was 5-5 heading to the 9th and the Phillies had to muster up a run. Jimmy Rollins started it all by knocking the ball to center for a single. The Flyin' Hawaiian bunted him to 2nd. Utley reached base on a "swinging bunt," Utley's hustle allowed him to beat that one out.
After replay, the ball should have been ruled a foul ball by the umpires. Instead Utley moved Rollins to 3rd and Howard hit a sac fly the next at-bat, giving the Phillies the winning run. The Phillies deserved that call. They had been cheated by the umps in the game up until that point. Matt Stairs, while pinch-hitting, had 2 balls called strikes against him when they were clearly outside. Also, Happ's strike zone was squeezed early in the game.
So the big story coming out of this game? No, it isn't the below 30° temperatures. It was Brad Lidge finally getting a save in a 1-run game, in a max-pressure situation. It wasn't easy though. Brad walked Carlos Gonzalez (aka "Philly Killer") with 1 out. Gonzalez toke second, and Lidge got Giambi to pop out.
So, with 2 outs, the Rockies best hitter, Todd Helton, had a chance to win the game. But Brad Lidge didn't give him that chance. So with 2 out and the winning run on first, Brad Lidge got Troy Tulowitzki to pop out and end the game.
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