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Sunday, Oct. 3 1:35pm ET
Urbina lifts Phillies to comeback win | |||||
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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Phillies won the first game of the season and the last. It was the 160 in between that caused problems. Alex Arias hit a two-run bloop single in the eighth off Ugueth Urbina to lift the Phillies to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Montreal Expos on Sunday. Philadelphia avoided a season-ending sweep and finished two games better than last season. Though many players are optimistic after ownership promised to spend more money this winter, the frustration showed as only 23,892 attended Fan Appreciation Day. With a 77-85 record, the Phillies had their 12th losing season in 13 years. "I'm just tired of ...," first baseman Rico Brogna said, cutting himself off. "I just want to be in the playoffs. I don't want to put a negative spin on it. I'm not different than anybody else." The Phillies, who were 13 games above .500 and in playoff contention on Aug. 6, went 16-37 from that point on. They finished 77-85, 26 games out of first place. The Expos finished 68-94, winning fewer than 70 games for the third time in five years. "We're 34 games out of first place," said Expos manager Felipe Alou, who cut his postgame comments short and rushed out of Veterans Stadium. "We're both glad we're finished." The Phillies were able to place victories as bookends to an otherwise disappointing season when Expos starter Dustin Hermanson was lifted after seven innings with a 5-2 lead. He retired the last nine batters before the bullpen blew it. Alou said Hermanson had a tight lower back. Reliever Anthony Telford started the eighth and gave up a single to Ron Gant, walked Bobby Abreu and allowed an RBI single to Bobby Estalella, making it 5-3. Scott Strickland (0-1) relieved, and pinch-hitter Kevin Sefcik sacrificed runners to second and third before Kevin Jordan walked to load the bases with one out. Urbina threw a wild pitch on a 1-2 count, allowing Abreu to score to cut it to 5-4 before Arias blooped the decisive hit to right-center on a full count. The blown lead in the eighth inning was a common occurrence for the Expos, who have lacked a setup man for Urbina during three straight losing seasons. "The eighth inning will be addressed next year," Alou said. Cliff Politte (1-0) pitched two innings for the victory. Steve Montgomery struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. Vladimir Guerrero capped one of the best offensive seasons in Expos history with his 42nd homer and was 7-for-11 in the series with four homers and 11 RBIs. He finished the year with a .316 average, 42 homers and a club-record 131 RBIs. He also didn't make an error, avoiding becoming the first outfielder to reach 20 since Bob Johnson of the 1935 Philadelphia Athletics. Guerrero, who had nine errors in April, matched the post-World War II of 19, by Lou Brock (1966) and Chili Davis (1988). "He's improved in hitting, baserunning and fielding," Alou said. "He's had overall improvement." Mike Mordecai hit a two-run homer in the second off starter Randy Wolf (6-10), and Fernando Seguignol had a two-run double in the third. Wolf, a rookie who won his first five decisions but lost seven of his last 12 starts, allowed five runs and six hits in four innings, walking three and striking out two. Hermanson, who was cruising on only 96 pitches, allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out six. Urbina, who began the final day of the season tied with San Diego's Trevor Hoffman with an NL-leading 41 saves, had his eighth blown save.
Game notes | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Montreal Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 9 Cleveland 2
Philadelphia 6
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