Relievers give up 3-run lead, Phillies lose in 10

AARON BRACY
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillies’ offense went stagnant and the bullpen couldn’t salvage a win for Cliff Lee.

Martin Prado doubled, homered and drove in five runs, including a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 10-6 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Six Philadelphia relievers combined to allow seven runs, capped by Antonio Bastardo’s four-run 10th inning.

“The bullpen struggled tonight,” Philadelphia manager Ryne Sandberg said. “It’s just (not making) quality pitches right out of the pen, lacking getting first-hitter outs.”

Ender Inciarte reached on a bunt single with one out in the 10th and went to third on Didi Gregorius’ double to right off Bastardo (4-4). The speedy Inciarte scored easly on Prado’s fly ball to medium center field that was caught by light-throwing Ben Revere.

“I wanted to put the ball in play and fortunately I hit a fly ball,” said Prado, who tied his career-high for RBIs in a game.

After an intentional walk to Paul Goldschmidt, pinch-hitter Nick Evans broke the game open with a three-run shot to left.

Marlon Byrd and Cody Asche homered for Philadelphia, which has lost eight of its last 11 games. Chase Utley had three hits and an RBI.

The teams combined to use 13 pitchers and pounded out 33 hits in the game that took 4 hours, 20 minutes.

Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard went 2 for 5 with two strikeouts in his return to the lineup after a .141 average in his previous 21 games caused Sandberg to bench him for three games.

“He had some of his better at-bats against a left-handed pitcher,” Sandberg said. “Had a couple of base hits, so that’s something for him to build on.”

The Phillies jumped all over Josh Collmenter early, cruising to a 6-2 lead before the Diamondbacks battled back against Lee and the Phillies’ bullpen.

Collmenter allowed six runs on 11 hits in just 2 2-3 innings — his shortest outing as a starter this season.

“There were just too many bad pitches, especially fastballs up and over the plate,” Collmenter said.

The Phillies pounded out eight hits in the first two innings. Asche’s two-run homer to right highlighted Philadelphia’s four-run second that put the Phillies in front 4-1. Lee scored one of the runs in the inning, reaching on Jimmy Rollins’ double, but he nearly fell rounding third and let out a chuckle halfway to the plate.

After Arizona got a run back in the third when Prado went deep, Philadelphia scored twice more, chasing Collmenter in the process, in the bottom of the inning on Byrd’s leadoff homer to left and Lee’s RBI single to center that made it 6-2.

“Putting six runs up early was the positive side of things, but we weren’t able to add on,” Sandberg said.

Making his second start after spending two months on the DL with an elbow injury, Lee was a tad better than his last outing when he gave up six runs and 12 hits in 5 2-3 innings but still not in his usual form, tossing five innings and giving up three runs on nine hits this time.

“It looks like he’s still building up arm strength and the balls still not coming out crisp and darting with some life at home plate,” Sandberg said. “He’s lacking that right now along with the command.”

Both Sandberg and Lee said the elbow is fine.

“The elbow is a nonissue at this point,” Lee said. “It’s just a matter of getting honed back in and getting to where I’m locating better. That’s what I do and I’m always trying to improve on it, but the past two games haven’t been even close to what I want it to be. Today wasn’t that far off but I just threw way too many balls, period.”

Arizona slowly clawed back, getting a run in the fourth on Prado’s RBI single and two more in the sixth off right-hander Justin De Fratus on Prado’s two-run double to left that made it 6-5.

And the Diamondbacks scored the tying run in the seventh on Inciarte’s RBI groundout off lefty Mario Hollands.

The Phillies placed a runner in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that featured two replay reviews. However, Grady Sizemore grounded out against Evan Marshall (3-2) with the winning run on second.

Earlier in the inning, second base umpire Dan Iassogna’s safe call on Reid Brignac’s steal attempt was overturned by replay review after a 1-minute, 33-second delay. Later, replays confirmed first-base umpire Dale Scott’s safe call on Revere’s infield single in which he eluded the tag of Goldschmidt with a diving touch of first after a two-minute delay.

NOTES: The teams combined to leave 24 runners on base. … Philadelphia rookie RHP Ken Giles needed just 10 pitches to strike out the side in the eighth. . Sizemore has hit safely in all eight games leading off for the Phillies. . Former Phillies INF Placido Polanco threw out the ceremonial first pitch. . The series concludes Sunday with Arizona LHP Vidal Nuno (0-1, 3.78) facing Phillies RHP Roberto Hernandez (4-8, 4.25).