Friday, May 27, 2011
Posted: 10:05 p.m.Updated: 11:37 p.m.
By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
NEW YORKThe Phillies have a decision to make in a week. Who goes down when Shane Victorino is ready to come off the disabled list?
Team officials will no doubt weigh the benefits of keeping Domonic Brown playing semi-regularly in the majors vs. sending him to the minors for full-time work.
When it comes time to make the decision, theres a strong chance the Phils will keep Brown in the majors. Manager Charlie Manuel hinted toward that before Friday nights game when he said, We brought Domonic up here and hes going to get a chance to play. Were going to get a look at him.
A few hours later, Brown showed why it would be wise to keep him around, even if he doesnt play nine innings a night. The guy is a weapon and he showed it in helping the Phillies rally for a 6-4 win over the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday night.
MLB
Not in the starting lineup as the Mets sent lefty Chris Capuano to the mound, Brown came off the bench in the eighth inning and stroked two hits, scored two runs and stole a big base as the Phillies won for the third straight day.
He played a big part in helping us win the game, Manuel said.
The Phils were down, 3-2, when Brown stroked a pinch-hit single against Jason Isringhausen to open the eighth. In the dugout, bench coach Pete Mackanin put the stop watch on Isringhausens delivery to the plate. First base coach Sam Perlozzo did the same thing. The times were conducive to Browns running so Manuel gave the kid the green light. On the third pitch, Brown took off and slid head first into second. Jimmy Rollins then stroked a double to right to tie the game.
The Brown-Rollins combo wasnt through there. An inning later, Carlos Ruiz singled with one out against Mets bullpen ace Francisco Rodriguez. Ross Gload followed with a pinch-hit single, bringing up Brown, who stroked a ball past Mets first baseman Daniel Murphy to deliver the tie-breaking run. Could Murphy have made a play on the ball? Yes. Should he have? Probably. Nonetheless, it went for key hit in the Phillies three-run ninth inning and it surely helped the confidence of one 23-year-old prospect named Domonic Brown.
I got the job done and that feels good, Brown said. This is a big win for us against a rival team.
Getting two hits off the bench was a sign of progress for Brown. He had trouble adjusting to a limited role in his time with the club late last season.
I know what to expect now, he said.
The Phils scored two more runs after Browns ninth-inning hit, one on a sacrifice fly by Rollins, who had three RBIs. Before the three-run ninth, Rodriguez had not given up a run against the Phillies in 16 career appearances. The padding proved useful because Ryan Madson allowed three hits and a run in the ninth before Chase Utley and Rollins turned a nice double play with two men on base to end the game. Utley and Rollins made sweet music on the double play. Four innings earlier, they collided behind second on a popup. The ball dropped and Utley was charged with an error that led to an unearned run against Roy Oswalt.
Chase is getting his legs back and testing his range, Rollins said with a laugh. I just happened to be there at the point of intersection.
Oswalt allowed two runs, only one of which was earned. He has pitched 18 innings and allowed just three earned runs since coming off the disabled list. Oswalt has given up 24 hits and struck out just eight in those 18 innings, but a pitcherespecially a Phillies pitchercan pitch to contact when the offense scores runs. The Phils are now 21-2 when they score four or more runs.
The Phils have scored 31 runs in their last four wins. Rollins likes the way things are going.
The team is starting to feel whole again, he said. Chase is back. Shane will be coming back soon. The lineup is starting to come together. When everybody is on the field, you feel better about yourself as a team.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com