Victorino, Blanton and bullpen get Phils past Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

08/28/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Victorino provided a much-needed offensive spark with two hits and two RBI for the Phillies, who defeated the San Diego Padres, 3-1, in the second of three games at PETCO Park.

Victorino, who tripled and scored a run, also was a defensive presence, throwing a runner out at home to help Philadelphia win the first two games of this series following a four-game losing streak. With the victory, the Phillies crept to within 1 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta while increasing their lead in the wild card to one game over San Francisco.

Joe Blanton (6-6) pitched well to earn the win, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in six innings. Brad Lidge earned his 18th save.

Jon Garland (13-9) was unable to beat Philadelphia yet again, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 6 1/3 frames for San Diego, which has dropped three straight but still holds a 5 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

Garland, who added an RBI single as the only offense for the Padres, fell to 0-5 in six career starts against the Phillies.

With the game tied, 1-1, entering the seventh, the Phillies forged ahead.

Jayson Werth drew a walk leading off after being down 0-2 in the count, and, two batters later, Victorino drilled a ball toward center that sliced away from outfielder Chris Denorfia for an RBI triple.

The hit spelled the end of Garland's outing, and Joe Thatcher came in to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz before Luke Gregerson was called upon to pitch to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney. Sweeney bounced into what looked like a sure double play, but barely beat out the relay to first, allowing Victorino to score for a 3-1 advantage.

The Phillies' bullpen took over from there.

Jose Contreras threw a perfect seventh inning and was followed by Ryan Madson's flawless eighth.

Lidge, who balked in the tying run in Friday's ninth inning, completed the bullpen's third consecutive perfect inning to polish off the victory.

The offenses, which struggled in the series opener on Friday, continued that trend early on Saturday.

While the Phillies went without a hit for the first four innings, the Padres managed only two baserunners over the same stretch. Philadelphia's first hit came in the fifth, and it was a timely one that put the visitors ahead.

Werth became Philadelphia's third baserunner when he was hit by a pitch leading off the inning. Werth advanced to second on a Raul Ibanez groundout, and Victorino sent a grounder up the middle for a single that plated the runner for a 1-0 lead.

The Padres came right back, nearly taking the lead.

Chase Headley drew a leadoff walk and, two batters later, was retired on Denorfia's fielder's choice. Nick Hundley kept the inning going with a single that put runners on the corners, and Garland tied the game by lining the first pitch into left for an RBI single.

David Eckstein followed with a single up the middle, but Victorino threw out Hundley at home plate to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Phillies lead the season series, 4-2, and clinched their fourth straight season series win over San Diego...Philadelphia has won 13 of its last 15 games against NL West opponents and six straight at San Diego...The Phillies are 35-23 in games decided by two runs or fewer, the best such record in the majors...Despite the win, Philadelphia has not scored more than three runs in nine of its last 10 games, including six straight...Garland had a three-start win streak snapped...The Phillies have won nine of their last 10 day games.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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