Werth It......

  
  Ok so if you look at my pre-game prediction I was close to perfect. Cole Hamels only got through 4 1/3 innings and gave up some HUGE homers. I would compare Cole Hamels recent performance to a gaping wound and no one being able to find a truncate. The Phillies got lucky that the Dodgers couldn't hit with runners in scoring position or that game could have been a lot closer. But hey the Phillies won and they now get to play baseball for the next two weeks. On the other hand I was right on a few things. The biggest key was getting to the Dodgers pitching.

If you watched the way Padilla pitched you could tell that by the second inning  his shoulder was bothering him. He lowered his release and allowed a lot of his pitches drift to the middle of the plate and boy did the Phillies capitalize. You could tell that it was all hands on deck for the Dodgers when they brought in Kershaw and they were desperate. Hell Torre would have pitched if he thought it would get through and inning.

Ryan Howard was not the factor I thought he was going to be but I really think that his presence helped alot. Because of the towering presence that Ryan Howard casts it gave Jayson Werth a lot more pitches to see and he capitalized with those two monumental home runs, the first of them was with two runners on (another product of getting to the pitching and working the counts). Jayson Werth should definitely get the game ball. He played out of his mind tonight and made a huge case for him to be nominated for not only gold glove but other post season accolades.

CHOOCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats right ladies and gentlemen, our amazing Panamanian catcher was the key and the life of this game. He controlled Cole Hamels and kept the wounds to a minimum. He caught a great game and kept the balls out of the strike zone and helped the pitchers work the zone and helped frame a lot of pitchers in clutch situations that really helped the phillies get out of some serious bases loaded jams. This guy deserves to start and made a case for him to be taken care of as a full time starting catcher.

So what's next for the Phillies. Well if you looked at the post game celebration (if thats what you call it) we now know that its all about business and going after another one. This team amazes me every game. I mean I was excited but if you watched the end of the game all you saw was a team that knew what was next and that is an uphill battle with one more goal to achieve. You cant not love this team and the way they make things happen. There is not a weak spot in the batting order and they make sure you know it. People say "what are they going to do when the meet Sabathia" well I saw, "exactly what they did last year, light him up" bring it on Yankees cause the Phillies are in a New York state of mind and have one purpose and one goal and that is to have another parade down broad street and give the people of Philadelphia something more to believe in...............

- b chan