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Tuesday, Jun. 27 7:35pm ET
Relaford's offense, not defense, is story | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Desi Relaford saw the horde of reporters coming toward him, but this time he didn't cringe. Relaford, who has been plagued by poor defense for most of the season, played flawless shortstop and drove in four runs including a bases-clearing double as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-0 Tuesday night. "I'm finally talking about something positive," Relaford said. "This time, I'm talking about how I helped the team win instead of talking about how I helped the other guys win. It feels good to contribute." Relaford's defensive woes this season have resulted in a major league-high 19 errors and forced manager Terry Francona to bench him for three of the six games during the Phillies recent road trip. "What I've went through, it's hard to explain," Relaford said. "I was lost. I couldn't even catch a groundball. It's all a mindset and my mind was in the wrong place for a while there." His fortune changed against the Brewers. Relaford busted open a tight game in the sixth inning when he hammered the first pitch from starter Jimmy Haynes for a three-run double to left-center. He added an RBI double off Steve Woodard in the eighth. Since June 4, Relaford is hitting .437 (12-for-32) with runners in scoring position. "He took two beautiful swings," Francona said. "It's great to see him get those big hits but the plays at short probably made me more happier." In the field, Relaford recorded three assists and started a key double play in the seventh inning to help preserve the shutout. Curt Schilling tossed eight shutout innings to pick up his second win in his last three starts. Schilling (3-4) allowed six hits, struck out six and walked one. He has yielded just four runs in his last 23 innings and watched his ERA drop from 5.43 to 4.83. "It's coming," Schilling said. "I'm feeling better and I'm mixing up my pitches. "(Catcher Mike Lieberthal) walked me through a couple of tough jams. He was on the mark all night." One of those jams came in the seventh when Schilling, who retired nine batters in a row from the fourth through the sixth, worked out of trouble after yielding consecutive singles to Charlie Hayes and Tyler Houston. Schilling fanned Jose Hernandez and got Henry Blanco to bounce into an inning-ending double play started by Relaford. Philadelphia grabbed the momentum in the sixth when Haynes (7-7) unraveled. Haynes, who allowed just a single to Schilling through the first five innings, surrendered back-to-back doubles to Bobby Abreu and Scott Rolen. He hit Mike Lieberthal and walked Mickey Morandini to load the bases before Relaford cleared them. "They just hit some good pitches," Haynes said. "Abreu's hit was off the end of the bat -- a double on a down-and-away pitch." Relaford's RBI double and a two-run double by pinch-hitter Rob Ducey in the eighth, made it 7-0. Haynes allowed four runs and four hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out five and walking five. "Jimmy pitched five good innings but had one bad inning and that cost us the game," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said. "Walks are the name of the game and they've been hurting us all year." Milwaukee pitchers lead the majors in walks with 387. Schilling got the first hit off Haynes in the fourth when he bounced a ball up the middle just out of the reach of second baseman Ron Belliard. The ball hit second base umpire Scott Packard in the leg and dribbled into right field, allowing Schilling to take second. Ron Belliard and Marquis Grissom led off the first against Schilling with consecutive singles and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Schilling struck out Geoff Jenkins, got Jeromy Burnitz to pop up and retired Charlie Hayes on a grounder to end the threat. "That changed the whole game," a frustrated Burnitz said. "It's a joke. It's terrible. Score some runs in the first inning and it puts pressure on them the whole game." Schilling faced another second-and-third situation in the fourth with two outs and got Jose Hernandez to pop out. Game notesPhillies starter Robert Person, disabled since June 19, was examined by Dr. Craig Morgan who confirmed a right shoulder strain. Person, 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 14 starts, is expected to return to the rotation following the All-Star break. ... Milwaukee's Tyler Houston, in just his eighth start at first base this season, made a great diving stop to rob Schilling of a hit in the third. ... Lieberthal has throw out 11 of 19 base stealers in his last 24 games. He caught Grissom at second base in the third. ... The Phillies are 14-9 in June, clinching their first winning month this season. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Milwaukee Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 6 Boston 3
Philadelphia 7
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