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LOS ANGELESThe Phillies didnt need an airplane to take them home Wednesday night. This team is flying high on its own.
The Phils have reached 39,000 feet in this Season of High Expectations, this season of World Series or Bust.
They hit that attitude over the last 10 days when they had their best 10-game roadtrip ever. They finished it with their ninth win Wednesday afternoon, and it wasnt just an ordinary win, it was one of their best of the season because it showed that along with all that high-priced talent, they have some character, too.
We play 27 outs, manager Charlie Manuel said after the 9-8 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thats the way youre supposed to play.
If there was ever a day not to play the full 27, it was this one.
The Phils had already had a terrific roadtrip, winning eight of the first nine games to surge to 36 games over .500 for the first time since 1977. You figured they could slide one day, especially after they fell behind 6-0 after three innings. Oh, well, you cant win em all. Well get em again tomorrow.
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But there was no sliding, no skating, no day off.
We knew we had a lot of game left, Ryan Howard said.
And the Phils have a lot of offense, especially lately. Everyone knows about the great pitching staff, but check out this stat: Since July 1, the Phillies are scoring 5.42 runs per game, the best in the National League.
Its finally starting to come together, Howard said. The hitting is catching up with the pitching.
A bunch of little things added up to this big win for the Phillies.
There was Jimmy Rollins 15-pitch at-bat leading off the game and putting an early dent in Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley.
There was Vance Worley slowing the bleeding after giving up five runs in the first inning.
There was the Dodgers defense betraying Billingsley.
There was Hunter Pences two-run homer and Worleys two-out RBI single, both in the fourth inning.
Those runs gave the Phillies hope, put us in striking distance, Manuel said.
There were those two-out hits by Chase Utley (game-tying two-run single) and Howard (go-ahead two-run homer) in the sixth.
There was the work of the bullpen and Raul Ibanezs important running catch in the ninth.
Were playing well, Utley said. Pitching, offense, defense.
Utley then pointed toward one of the most important elements of the win.
We have a lot of confidence in our bullpen, he said.
The performance of two relievers was especially key to the win.
After the Phils took a 9-7 lead on Howards two-run homer off Blake Hawksworth in the sixth, Manuel went to righthander David Herndon who delivered a five-pitch shutdown inning.
An inning later, the Dodgers threatened against Brad Lidge. Without a situational lefty, Manuel went to his eighth-inning man, Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo came up huge, getting James Loney to pop out before striking out Dioner Navarro. He has inherited 29 runners this season and stranded 27 of them.
Manuel stayed with Bastardo for a 1-2-3 eighth. Ryan Madson hit some turbulence in the ninth, allowed a run, but settled down for the save.
Manuel said he didnt mind using Bastardo for five outs because Thursday is an off day. The Phils are sailing toward October, so it might not matter until then, but they dont have another lefty in the bullpen other than Bastardo. He is not going to be able to get five outs a night. Clearly, this is one of the teams few shortcomings.
I think weve got some righties that can get lefties out, Manuel said. Weve been without that before. But a good situational guy, yeah, could always help us.
General Ruben Amaro Jr. called Pence the missing piece, but a situational lefty reliever might really be the missing piece to this teams championship puzzle.
And thats what its all abouta championship.
The potential is sky high, Howard said. The goal is a championship. As long as we win a championship, I dont care how many wins we have.
Howards two-run home run left him with 91 RBIs, most in the NL. He had four homers and 10 RBIs in 10 games on the trip.
Sometimes when you see him every day you take him for granted, Manuel said. Then you look up what hes hitting from the seventh inning on and the big hits he gets. He can find a way to knock in big runs.
The runs that Howard knocked in Wednesday made a great trip even better.
And now the Phillies get a day to slide.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com.