Burrell's Blast Gives Phils 3-2 Win over Marlins

As soon as Braden Looper's 1-0 pitch in the bottom of the 11th touched Pat Burrell's bat, the slugging left fielder started begging, pleading and talking to himself. If the ball he had just hit could stay up in the air long enough, everybody could go home.

Luckily for Burrell — and everyone else at Sunday's three-hour, twenty-nine minute pitching and defense fest — the ball succumbed to his pleas and cleared the fence for a game-winning home run as the Phils took another one from the Marlins, 3-2.

"I wasn't sure if it was going out. The wind was blowing and I was hoping. I was begging. I was talking to it," Burrell said. "I was shocked when I hit it."

	Pat Burrell high-fives John Mabry after his walk-off homer in the 11th. (AP)

The shock comes because Burrell has never slugged a game-ending homer in his life. He never did it in little league and he never did it as a collegian at the University of Miami because, "we were always up by too many runs," he says.

While Burrell was talking to the ball, starting pitcher Robert Person was probably wondering to himself why the big slugger couldn't have driven home the winning run when he was out there throwing a gem. Had Burrell obliged earlier in the game, Person would have received a win for his eight-inning, three-hitter where he retired the last 16 he faced.

Coincidentally, the last time the Phillies won with a walk-off homer was against the Marlins last Sept. 23 when Johnny Estrada led off the 10th inning with a shot that caused chairs to be thrown into the air and ejected managers to suddenly reappear to join in the celebratory pile up at home plate.

But after Burrell's blast, the mood was a bit more reserved (it is only April after all). However, the home run was still important because the win gives the Phils their first series victory of the season as well as some much-needed momentum heading into an important, early season four-game set against the Braves that begins Monday.

"We needed to win this game and the series for the momentum going into [Monday]," Burrell said.

At 3-3, the Phils are embroiled in a five-way, first and last place tie in the NL East.

Hey, a pennant race is a pennant race.

For all intents and purposes, the Phils could very easily have dropped the game to the Marlins and sunk to sole-possession of last place. After Cliff Floyd greeted Jose Mesa with an upper-deck blast to leadoff the ninth and give the Marlins a 2-1 lead, the Phils appeared finished. But against a short-staffed bullpen, the Phils fought back in the bottom half of the ninth with two straight leadoff walks and a one-out single by Burrell to load the bases for Mike Lieberthal.

Riding an 0-for-11 into the at bat that included an inning-ending, double-play grounder with the bases loaded just two innings prior, Lieberthal fouled off five pitches with a 2-2 count before driving home the tying run.

He knew he was due.

"I feel comfortable at the plate, it's just a matter of getting some breaks," said Lieberthal, who is hitting only .182 but has driven in three runs on his four hits this season.

Just as due was Person, who dealt his best game since beating the Braves last Sept. 17.

"He did exactly what we needed," manager Larry Bowa said of his starter. "Our bullpen is worn out already. If he just goes four or five innings, we're in trouble."

Person, in fact, went for eight innings and threw 107 pitches of which 70 were strikes. After struggling with his fastball through the first threw innings, the right-hander found his rhythm and located his heater with a nasty splitter to greet 20 of the 29 hitters he faced with first pitch strikes. If there is any wonder why he retired every hitter from the end of the third to the end of the eighth, that's why.

"That's the best I've seen his fastball all year," catcher Lieberthal said. "He was just commanding it and mixing it with a split."

Considering how things have gone for Person this spring, Sunday's outing was as big as a confidence booster as a pitcher could give himself. After compiling a double-digit ERA in Grapefruit League action and struggling through a loss to the Braves on opening day, the team's de facto ace did himself a lot of favors in Sunday's gem. But before getting too excited, Person realizes that it is only April and he is has a long history of getting out of the gate slowly.

"I did some research and spring training... terrible. What else is new? First game of the season for the past three years have been five innings and three runs... what else is new?" Person said. "It's all about bouncing back and forgetting about all of that and going out there and doing it. That's the way it's always been."

However, if the Phils were going to be in position to win Sunday's game, Person would have to be sharp because Marlins' starter Ryan Dempster mirrored him with a five-hitter over eight innings. Based on spring training and the opening day loss, murmurs started about whether his 15-win 2001 campaign was really all that.

"Once again, what else is new?" Person said. "I'm from the show me state so I try to show and prove. I don't do a lot of talking as far as this and that. If the bandwagoneers want off, that doesn't matter. If they come, that doesn't matter either. I'm just going to pitch."

Yeah, he's had just two starts but maybe Sunday's outing was the correct indication.

"My goal for this year is to stay consistent all year," he said.

But consistent is how the Phils bats have been through the season's first week — consistently quiet. The team has scored 18 runs in its six games while batting just .231. Only once have they scored more than three runs in a game (six in Friday's home opener) and have yet to register more than nine hits in any game. A lot of that has to do with the fact that a few players came into the game riding oh-fers. Travis Lee was zero for his last 11 until getting a second-inning double. Burrell was oh for his last 14 and 2-for-17 with eight strikeouts this season until his ninth-inning single and Lieberthal was on a 0-for-11 until his big single.

Afterwards, Scott Rolen is on a 0-for-8 and Doug Glanville is just two for his last 12.

Sunday was just more of the same.

The Phils managed just one hit while trailing, 1-0, through the first six innings as the hard-throwing Dempster retired 17 of the first 18 hitters until Jimmy Rollins legged out a two-out double off second baseman Luis Castillo's glove in the sixth. That prefaced Marlon Anderson's single to right that scored Rollins before Anderson was thrown out trying to take second.

	Marlon Anderson tries to nab Luis Castillo, who beat out an infield single to lead off the 10th. (AP)

Meanwhile, Person has touched for his only run on a two-out, two-strike, two-on single by Mike Redmond in the second. If he wriggles out of that one, the Phils don't need Burrell's homer.

For the Phillies, Cliff Politte earned the win by pitching the 10th and 11th innings and striking out two on two walks and two hits.

The Braves come to town for a four-game set beginning Monday with Vicente Padilla (1-0, 1.50) facing Kevin Millwood (0-1, 3.86). The last time out, Padilla outdueled Millwood in Atlanta during his first big league start by allowing just one run and three hits in six innings. Millwood gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings for the loss.

Additionally, the Braves head into Monday's game following a 14-inning win against the New York Mets where manager Bobby Cox used eight pitchers, including Wednesday's scheduled starter Albie Lopez. That game comes on the heels of Saturday night's loss to the Mets where they used four relievers and gave up nine runs in the ninth to take the 11-2 loss.

Tuesday, Terry Adams (0-1, 9.53) will square off against Jason Marquis just as they did during the season-opening series last Thursday.

Notes: Scott Rolen received his third gold glove award and second straight in a ceremony before the game. However, the picture on trophy was Montreal right fielder Vladimir Guerrero's and not Rolen. ... The Phillies have won 10 of their last 11 home series against the Marlins. ... Floyd is the 19th player to reach the right-field upper deck at Veterans Stadium. ... Floyd's homer was the fifth off Mesa in 72 innings as a Phillie. ... Bowa juggled his lineup around, moving Anderson from the No. 8 spot to second and dropping Glanville. Bowa also moved Burrell up to the sixth spot and dropped Lieberthal to No. 7. ... Nick Punto made his first appearance of the season as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He grounded into a fielder's choice.

John R. Finger
ComcastSportsNet.com