Philadelphia Baseball Review - Phillies News, Rumors and Analysis
Phillies take part of first place after win in Pittsburgh
The Phillies made history on Friday night, and it resulted in the club finishing the evening sitting atop the NL East standings with a share of first place.

It was a weird and wacky affair in Pittsburgh, and it took a franchise record 4 hours, 30 minutes to complete tying a National League record for a nine-inning game. When the dust settled the Phillies left PNC Park with a 17-5 victory to improve to 11 games over .500.

The Phillies collected 18 hits and walked ten times. They finished 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position and scored ten runs over the final three innings.

Odubel Herrera and Andrew Knapp each clubbed three-run homers to highlight the offensive efforts. Carlos Santana chipped in with three RBIs while Scott Kingers finished 4-for-5 and Rhys Hoskins added three hits. Everyone in the starting lineup collected at least one hit.

“It’s definitely gratifying to play Phillie-style baseball today, Phillie-style offense,” manager Gabe Kapler said afterward. “We again continue to work counts and see a lot of pitches and grind down the opposition and really it’s becoming our calling card. I believe it’s a great way to win baseball games and I think our guys are starting to walk the walk more and more.”



The Phillies and Pirates combined to use 13 pitchers. Nick Pivetta failed to get out of the third inning, having surrendered three runs on five hits. He needed 74 pitches to record eight outs.

The Phillies last found themselves in first place on May 26th, but the stay lasted for just a day. Now, the club has won five straight while the Braves have faltered a bit, dropping six of their last ten.

With 11 games remaining before the All-Star break, all against teams with records under .500, it appears the Phillies have a chance now to make a run while sitting atop the division. If that comes to fruition, it'll be a nice way to finish a surprising first half.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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Philadelphia Baseball Review - Phillies News, Rumors and Analysis