BOX SCORE
CINCINNATIA handful of names are mentioned whenever the subject of Phillies MVP comes up.
Shane Victorino, who ranks in the top 10 in the National League in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, is a hot pick.
Ryan Howard, with 30 homers and a league-leading 104 RBIs, has to be in the discussion.
Ryan Madson, a savior at closer, might seriously be in the talk if he hadnt missed time with injury.
A case can be made for any one of the Big 3 starters, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels or Cliff Lee.
Antonio Bastardos name is seldom mentioned and thats a mistake. In short, the guy has been a godsend to this bullpen, getting big out after big out all season. The 25-year-old lefty got five of them with the game on the line in Thursdays 6-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
MLB
Hes been deadly, Howard said. Im glad hes on our team.
In a two-run game with a runner on first in the seventh, Bastardo forged back from a 3-0 count and got 2010 NL MVP Joe Votto to ground into a 3-6-3 double play. Votto was the first of four straight left-handed hitters in the Reds lineup, so manager Charlie Manuel stayed with Bastardo in the eighth and he used his slider to cut through all three in striking out the side.
After floating between the minors and the majors the last two seasons, Bastardo came to camp this spring on the bubble to make the club. He earned a spot and soon joined Madson as one of the teams two most dependable relievers. In 55 games, he has allowed just eight runs and 19 hits in 52 13 innings. He has 65 strikeouts and 19 walks and a 1.38 ERA.
Bastardo has held opposing hitters to a .112 batting average, the lowest mark among major-league pitchers with 50 innings or more. He is on pace to have the lowest opponents batting average ever for a pitcher with more than 50 innings in a single season. Eric Gagnes .133 opposing batting average in 2003 was best entering this season.
I cant say enough about him, really, manager Charlie Manuel said. His numbers against righties and lefties have been outstanding. Its one of the better years youll see a guy have.
Brad Lidge, who converted 48 of 48 save chances to help the Phils win the World Series in 2008, agreed.
Its crazy how dominating hes been, Lidge said. I dont think Ive ever seen anyone doing what hes doing right now.
What hes doing and what I did are different. I was giving up hits. Hes giving up nothing. I dont want to say too much and jinx him, but I dont think it matters at this point what anybody says.
Manuel brought Bastardo into games in the seventh inning twice in this series, both because of left-handed matchups. Dont be surprised if you see that happen, or if Bastardo is called on to get more than three outs, occasionally down the stretch. Bastardo could be asked to get more than three outs in the playoffs and Manuel might want to gear him toward that in the final weeks of the season.
That would sit fine with Bastardo.
In spring training pitching coach Rich Dubee told me to be ready to pitch one or two innings, so Im prepared, Bastardo said.
Like Bastardo, Vance Worley is having a breakout year. The rookie righthander improved to 10-1 in six innings of four-run ball. He allowed a three-run homer in the seventh to make it a close game and necessitate Manuels bringing in Bastardo. The Phils have been victorious in 13 straight Worley starts.
Worley struck out seven, several of them on sinkers. That pitch has come around for him recently and catcher Brian Schneider has been sure to incorporate it into the game plan.
Howard opened his favorite month of the season with a pair of hits, including a homer. For his career, he is hitting .309 (203 for 658) with 60 homers and 165 RBIs in regular-season games played in September and October.
The Phillies are flying high with the best record (87-46) in the majors. Their four-game sweep in Cincinnati left them 41 games over .500. Never in franchise history have they been 42 games over .500, so they will shoot for the record Friday night in Miami. The team record for wins is 101, reached in 1976 and 1977.
As the final month unfolds, the Phils are on a clear course for the playoffs, but they still have things they want to accomplish.
Win games, Manuel said. Keep winning.
Manuel would like to get his bench some more playing time in the coming weeks. That goes hand in hand with getting his regulars some rest.
We want to win the division and have the best record in baseball, Manuel said. All that means something. Our ultimate goal is to win the World Series. We have to go through all those steps to accomplish that.E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com