Carlos Ruiz and Marlon Byrd Lead Comeback Against Dodgers

Give ’em the Byrd. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies finished off the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday night, winning the final game of the series behind strong, late offense from Carlos Ruiz and Marlon Byrd. By taking this game 7-3, the team wins 3 of 4, and by extension the series, bringing the record on the year to 11-11.

Ruiz in particular has been on a tear, and went 3-3 with two doubles, two walks, and two RBI on the night. Chances are he doesn’t want to leave LA, after batting 7-14 in the series with four doubles, a triple, a home run, and five walks. Only one of his hits WASN’T for extra bases. He entered the series batting .204/.328/.286, and leaves with a .270/.395/.476 slash line.

Marlon Byrd’s presence was felt with the most impact Thursday night, as he drove in four of the seven runs scored by the team. For the night, he went 3-5 with two doubles. Ben Revere also had two hits on the night, and Chase Utley knocked in one run and added a walk. Domonic Brown had a patient night at the plate, going 1-3 and drawing two walks.

From the pitching side, Kyle Kendrick continued to not deserve any derision from the fan base. He went 5.2 innings, only allowing a single walk and two runs. He did allow a fair number of hits (10), however, but against the Dodgers I happily take that from him. The bullpen was strong in their 3.1 innings, only allowing one hit, one run, and striking out five.

Jake Diekman was brought in to finish the 6th after Kendrick, and struck out Matt Kemp swinging (a righty; I’m still holding my breath). Mike Adams took the next two innings, allowing the game-tying home run to Adrian Gonzalez in the 7th, but striking out three.

He ended the game with both the blown save AND the win, another example of how stupid those stats are. Finally, Jonathan Papelbon ended the game without causing an international incident, and Brian Wilson got destroyed by our guys in the 9th (everyone wins!).

It was a good win, and the Phillies move on to face the worst team in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a three game set. Be a little worried about Roberto Hernandez in a home run friendly park, but outside of that it looks to be a potentially positive series for the Phillies.

Requisite minor league mention: Maikel Franco broke out of his slump last night. He went 3-4, with a single, double, and his first home run of the season. He’s still only batting .184/.253/.263 in total, but in his last five games he’s hitting .364/.391/.591 – definitely moving in the right direction.

Next Game: Friday, April 25, 2014 at 9:40 PM

Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks – Roberto Hernandez v. Josh Collmenter