Spotted: Small Ball by Phillies

Lately I've written a lot about the Phightin Phils, including a post or two where I've ripped their lack of hitting lately. One thing that has really bugged me this year is that the Phillies can only score in big innings (read: home runs or doubles), and have not been able to steal a run here or there just by playing small ball (read: singles, walks, steals, wearing down the pitcher, etc.).

Well that finally changed yesterday against the Cubs. Here is the recap of the sixth inning, as reported by ESPN.com:

J Rollins flied out to center.
C Utley singled to right.
P Burrell flied out to center.
R Howard singled to right, C Utley to third.
S Victorino hit by pitch, R Howard to second.
J Werth singled to right, C Utley and R Howard scored, S Victorino to third.
P Feliz flied out to center.

Notice there's no mention of "home run" in that recap? They picked up two big runs off of a tired starting pitcher merely by getting three singles, a hit batsman, and aggressive running. And they made the pitcher throw 22 pitches that inning. That's baseball folks! True, home runs can (and do) play a huge role in a team's offense, but not relying on the home run will get you places. Especially when you play against a great team like the Cubs, on the road, and down the stretch.

It's the little things in life...