Tyler Walker got his first prime time shot last night, coming into the bottom of the 9th inning in a 5-5 tie in Milwaukee last night. He promptly gave up a single to the lead-off hitter, and then the next hitter, Ryan Braun, hit a two-run walk-off homer to win the game. Walker faced two hitters and didn't get an out. "When one run is going to end the game, you've got to get that first guy out," noted Walker. "Then the pitch to Braun was not quite away, not quite down enough...Now I have to regroup and come back at them tomorrow."
Of course, the Phils shouldn't have been in that position in the first place. A costly 6th inning error by Jimmy Rollins cost two runs and permitted the Brewers to tie the game. Starter Kyle Kendrick pitched 4 innings and gave up three runs. He also balked and made a throwing error that cost him an unearned run. Jamie Moyer pitched 4 solid innings in relief of Kendrick, but he was the victim of Rollins' error and probably deserved a better fate.
Chase Utley, the usually dependable second baseman and number 3 hitter, is 1-13 this series, and appears to be pressing.
"I know some say it's in the bag," Charlie Manuel told his players after the game. "We ain't got a thing yet." How true. His bullpen is atrocious, and his hitters are pressing and not delivering when the team needs them to do so. His team appears to be complacent, because it demonstrates no sense of urgency. "I'm not [complacent]," said Manuel. "You'll have to go ask them. I talk to them every day, and I hadn't seen nobody tell me that. I'm not taking it for granted that we've got the division won. No. Not at all."
Let's hope that his players got the message, because time is now running very, very short.....
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