Halladay returns as Phillies top Dodgers
Roy Halladay was back in action for the Philadelphia Phillies after injury and he kept his team in the game for long enough as they rallied late to beat the LA Dodgers.
The Phillies win on Tuesday night makes it their fourth straight victory, and their second 3-2 in a row over the Dodgers. Halladay pitched five effective innings in his first start off the disabled list, Hunter Pence got him off the hook with a go-ahead, two-out single in the eighth inning.
“I feel good and I feel like I can contribute. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have tried to pitch tonight,” said Halladay, who had a successful rehab start Thursday for Clearwater and threw a bullpen session Saturday. “Anybody who likes to compete wants to be out there, regardless if you’re 15 games down in the standings or 15 up.”
Halladay faced Bobby Abreu and Mark Ellis first up, but they were called out on strikes by umpire Wally Bell. Abreu tossed his bat away after a 3-2 pitch and headed to first base, thinking he had walked. Ellis also had a few words for Bell before going back to the dugout. But the Dodgers opened the second inning with four straight hits and took a 2-1 lead with RBI singles by James Loney and Luis Cruz.
“We definitely had Halladay on the ropes, but we needed to get more out of that inning than two runs,” said catcher A.J. Ellis, who lined into a double play after Cruz’s hit. “But he was out there battling and he was really sharp. He’s one of the game’s best for a reason, and at times tonight he showed it.”
The Phillies loaded the bases in the eighth when Ronald Belisario (3-1) walked Chase Utley with two outs, then hit Ryan Howard on the foot with a 1-2 pitch and plunked Carlos Ruiz on a full count. Pence greeted Kenley Jansen with a sharp single to centre, scoring Utley and pinch runner John Mayberry Jr. and giving him a team-high 55 RBIs.
It was Jansen’s first appearance since he was on the mound when San Diego’s Everth Cabrera stole home for the tying run in the Dodgers’ 7-6 loss on Saturday night. Jansen has five blown saves in 21 opportunities.
Kyle Kendrick (3-8) got the victory, allowing two hits in 1 2-3 scoreless innings. Jonathan Papelbon, the sixth Phillies pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 23 chances.
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