Well, Jimmy Rollins officially returned to the lineup on Tuesday but his impact was definitely felt on Wednesday night.
The Phillies (37-32) picked up a big 7-6 walk-off victory over the Cleveland Indians last night in a game that went back and forth up until Rollins ended it in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run blast to the right field corner.
That hit had to feel great for Rollins, as he was 0-8 in his first eight at-bats back with the Phillies. It was a hit that Jimmy knew was gone right from the plate as he flipped the bat before taking off.
The Indians struck first in the first inning with two quick runs before the Phillies responded in the bottom of the frame.
Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick went on to give up two more earned runs in only four innings of work as he also walked two and gave up two home runs.
Philadelphia used five arms out of their bullpen which included Chad Durbin who injured his hamstring running to cover first base. It looks like Durbin will be put on the 15-day DL today, but should return in a couple weeks to a bullpen that's struggling to close the door on opponents.
J.C Romero came in following the Durbin injury and held the Indians off and in the process picked up his first victory of the season.
This was a big inter league victory for the Phillies as it clinched their first series victory at home over an AL team since 2007.
And in the process, every Phillies regular got a hit with the biggest one coming in the bottom of the ninth and even Rollins knew how big the hit was when he spoke to the media after the game.
"It felt good. It was one of those moments. You try to do it all year long, but your brain just stops working and you stop thinking about what you need to do. A good thing happened tonight," Rollins said.
The Phillies are gonna try to create another feel-good moment as they go for the sweep against the Indians today with Joe Blanton on the mound for the Phils today. Blanton (2-5) is coming off his best start of the season against the Twins last Friday night and will look to keep a good thing going.
The series finale between the Indians and the Phillies is set for 1 pm this afternoon.
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