‘08 Phightin’s take 2 of 3 from ‘95 Braves

8/26-8/27 - Fulton County Stadium
GAME 1 - '08 Phillies 3, '95 Braves 1
Rarely does Greg Maddux go the distance in a game and throw almost 120 pitches.  Even more rare are those days when he does just that and loses.  Maddux only gave up 4 hits on the day, but 3 of those hits came in the 5th inning when the Phils scored their 3 runs.  After striking out Pat "the Bat" Burrell and Greg Dobbs to lead off the inning the Maddux walked Coste.  His opposing number, "King" Cole Hamels singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd.  J-Roll, Jimmy Rollins, doubled deep into the right field corner to score both runners.  Hamels showed some incredible foot speed coming around from first.  The "Flyin' Hawaiian", Shane Victorino singled to center to score Rollins for the third run.  Up 3 to 1 and heading to the 9th the Phils went to closer Brad Lidge who closed out the game for his 3rd save of the season.

GAME 2 - Braves 2, Phillies 1 (rain shortened 8 inn)
Old man Moyer and Tommy Glavine hooked up in a duel of crafty lefties.  Weather was hot an gloomy and the threat of rain was constant.  Philly took a 1 run lead in the 3rd when Carlos Ruiz reached first on a Mike Mordecai error and scored on a Victorino ground out.  After striking out Belliard to start the 5th Moyer's 82 mph cutter did not cut and David Justice launched it into tomorrow to tie the game at 1.  Mike Kelly turned on another cutter that didn't cut, but the ball died on the track safely in the glove of Burrell.  With Glavine up and two outs things looked good for the Phightin's.  Glavine slapped Moyer's 68 mph change-up into left for a single.   On a perfectly executed hit and run Mike Mordecai doubled to right center and Glavine scored to make it 2-1.  Fast forward to the bottom of the 8th when Ryan Klesko led off the inning with a pinch hit single.  Mordecai lined out to second, but by this time the game long drizzle turned into a deluge.  Umpires waited over an hour before calling the game, which was so close with the outcome still in doubt.  Chalk it up to being just another nuiance of baseball.

8/28 - Citizen's Bank Ballpark
GAME 3 - Phillies 7, Braves 2
Back home in the friendly confines of CBB the Phightin's unleashed a 7 run barrage on John Smoltz.  Joe Blanton went his typical 6 innings and gave up only 1 run to cruise to victory.  Ryan Howard hit hit a monster 2 run shot in the bottom of the first that would have gone out of death valley in the old Yankee Stadium.  With the score 4-1 the Phills blew it open with a 3 run sixth inning.  RBI singles by Dobbs and Coste and a wild pitch by Smoltz accounted for the runs.  Atlanta's lone offensive bright spot was Ryan Klesko's 3rd homer of the season, which came with 2 outs in the first and occurred just after Marquis Grissom got thrown out trying to pilfer second.