Game Story

Mother’s Day Game Leaves Moms Unhappy

By: Amy Breckin

The stage was set for a perfect day at Citizen’s Bank Park on Sunday. The weather was incredible, sunny skies, a slight breeze, and temperatures in the 70s. It was truly a great day for baseball. It was also Mother’s Day and the crowd was lively with 45,129 in attendance. Many of the Phillies players used pink bats in honor of Mothers Day, and the moms in attendance received a complementary Chase Utley blanket. It was the perfect day for the Phillies to get closer to .500 and also to sweep the Chicago Cubs. How could a perfect day end without a victory for the Phillies?

The Phillies lost to the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, and never seemed to get into a groove the entire game. Cubs left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and had many in the crowd calling to mind the no-hitter performed by Jim Bunning on Father’s Day in 1964. The potential no-no had sucked the life out of the crowd and had many Phillies fans biting their nails in worry. Abraham Nunez hit a single in the fifth with two outs, so it was no no-no for Lilly.

Lilly pitched a good game, but it was far from amazing. Although he allowed just three hits in eight innings, he threw right down the middle of the plate, but the Phillies just could not hit. “He didn’t overpower anybody. We were just fouling off balls and popping them up,” said Abraham Nunez.

Jimmy Rollins had a different feeling about Ted Lilly’s pitching, he said, “He had a pitch that we couldn’t hit today – it was a fastball down the middle. Sometimes a guy doesn’t do anything special but you just can’t find a way.” Manager Charlie Manuel also blamed Lilly’s pitching for the Phillies poor performance, “Lilly had a hell of a game,” said Manuel. “He changed speeds good. He got his ball over the plate. He had a little cutter working on righties and we had trouble with him.”

They also made a few errors which led to their demise and made a rally for a win nearly impossible. For once, the blame for the loss could not be placed on the pitching or the bullpen. Phillies right-hander Jon Lieber is 1-2 with an ERA of 2.83 this season. He struck out five, allowed nine hits, and two runs (one earned). This just was not enough. The offense could not hit, and the defense let Lieber down.

The errors made in this game were easily utilized by the Cubs. In the fourth inning, with the Cubs leading 2-0, Aramis Ramirez bounced a ball deep into the hole at third base; Nunez grabbed the ball, but bounced the ball to Wes Helms and picked up an error on the play. “That’s a play I have to make,” said Nunez. “That was a key play in that inning. I am sure that Jon (Lieber) is disappointed in the way that we played. I am not happy with my play today.” Lieber simply explained that errors are a part of the game, “everybody is out there busting their butts,” said Lieber. “We can’t worry about the errors, we need to move onto the next game.”


Another problem in the game came from Chase Utley. Utley had trouble getting the ball out of his glove and could not make a double play happen in the top of the ninth, eventually, leading the score to 4-1. In the bottom of the ninth, Utley tried to stretch a single into a double and was out at second, thus bringing an end to the game. Utley admits that he made a mistake calling the choice to stretch it out, “a bad decision.”

The fact still remains that if the Phillies cannot score a pile of runs, their chance of winning is slim to none. Phillies fans can blame the pitching or blame the lack of runs, but these two go hand in hand, and a team needs to work together to win. Some fans have even blamed Charlie Manuel and his choices when it comes to the bullpen. In this game, Manuel went with Antonio Alfonseca in the ninth. Alfonseca allowed singles from Iztruis and Floyd, putting runners on the corners. He then walked Ryan Theriot to load the bases. Fans have been adamant about not supporting Charlie Manuel’s decisions regarding the bullpen. Alfonseca allowed the game to get that much more out of reach for the Phillies.

Although the Phillies did win the series against the Cubs, there should have been a sweep of the series. After the amazing comeback by the Phillies on Saturday, with 11 runs and 16 hits it is astounding for fans to understand that less than 24 hours later, the Phillies could not even muster a hit. This also ties into Manuel’s decisions. Manuel sat Greg Dobbs who went 4 for 4 in Saturday’s game. He also sat Shane Victorino and played Wes Helms instead. Dobbs and Victorino were key in the dramatic win on Saturday only to see no playing time on Sunday.

It is quite possible that Manuel’s computer program that he relies on is just not working to its potential anymore. And so, another game has gone by, and the Phillies are still not playing .500 baseball. Ryan Howard, the National League’s Most Valuable Player, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left quadriceps strain. The Braves are in first place, and the Mets are winning. Is there an upside to this team or even to this season?

One upside might be the fact that the fans are certainly supporting this team. This Phillies had a sold-out weekend, which was the fifth sellout of the season and the fourth largest crowd in the Bank’s four year history. Also, before this game, the Phillies were on a three-game winning streak, which brings hope to the team. Ryan Howard is on the disabled list, so maybe his problems this season can be attributed to injury and not some type of slump. The Phillies are 17-20 so they are close to .500 baseball, so maybe things will get better. There is always that silver lining somewhere.

Also, the Milwaukee Brewers are in town to play the Phillies tonight at 7:05pm at the Bank. The Phillies are now 5-10 in games started by lefthanded pitchers. The Brewers, who have a right-handed majority pitching staff, are coming into the Bank at the right time for the Phillies. Hopefully, they will be able to turn a corner and find their niche against the Brewers. So, Sunday’s game must be left in the past, and the players, coaches and fans should now look towards the Brewers.

Mother’s Day at Citzen’s Bank Park did not go as well as anyone would have wanted. Maybe the pink bats did not bring luck, or maybe too much emphasis was placed on the complementary Chase Utley blanket, but the fact still remains that many unhappy moms left the Bank on Sunday. The stage was set for an amazing day. The sun was shining, the ballpark was filled to capacity, it was Mother’s Day, and there was a free gift! Apparently, perfection does not equate results and does not secure a win. Fans certainly came crashing down from the high of Saturday’s game. Well, hopefully this team can turn it around by Father’s Day.