Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| Team | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 6 | 1 |
 | Philadelphia Phillies | 8 | 11 | 1 |
Highlights
The Phillies fans were bummed having lost their All Star second baseman Chase Utley to a broken bone in his right hand the night before but it didn’t dissuade the team as they rocked the visiting Bucs early and often in this rain shortened affair. This was the second time in less than 2 weeks that we saw the Pirates starter John Van Benschoten and he just doesn’t seem to have the confidence necessary to be a successful major league pitcher as he gave up 7 runs on 6 hits in 2 1/3 innings. It all started in the first when lead off hitter Michael Bourn singled to center and then Van Benschoten hit Shane Victorino forcing Bourn to second. Next Jimmy Rollins worked the count full before walking to load the bases with nobody out. It seemed as though Van Benschoten might get out of it as he got clean-up hitter Ryan Howard and number 5 hitter Pat Burrell on strikes but Gregg Dobbs singled to right scoring Bourn and Victorino giving the Phils an early 2-0 lead. Van Benschoten worked a scoreless second but it all began to unravel in the third as he issued a walk to lead off batter Howard and then surrendered a homer to red-hot Burrell. Next another base on balls to Dobbs followed by a RBI double to Carlos Ruiz. After getting Abraham Nunez to ground out to second, the ageless Jamie Moyer helped his cause by delivering a single to left and driving in Ruiz for what was almost unbelievably only the eighth RBI of his lengthy career which started in 1986. Pirates manager Jim Tracy had seen enough and brought in Tony Armas Jr. who had no better luck as he quickly allowed 3 successive singles to Bourn, Victorino & Rollins that chased Moyer home for the 7th Phillies run and closing the book on Van Benschoten. Howard struck out and Burrell followed with a bases loaded walk to force home Bourn for an 8-0 Phillies lead at the end of 3. Moyer went the distance for the Phils allowing 6 hits and no walks with 4 strikeouts for the 7 rain shortened innings. The only Pirates run came in the fifth when Josh Phelps led off and reached on third baseman Dobbs error and moved to third on a Jose Castillo double to center. Pirates’ catcher Ronny Paulino followed with a single to right scoring Phelps.