Victorino's slam puts Phillies in the drivers seat

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Phillies had one mission in Game Two of their series with the Brewers: get to C.C. Sabathia early and get him out of the game quickly. Thanks to a 5-run second inning highlighted by a Brett Myers walk and a Shane Victorino grand slam, the Phillies suceeded in running the Brewers ace out of the game after only 3 and 2/3rds innings. The Phils didn't do any damage against the Brewers bullpen, but they still held on to win 5-2 and take a 2-0 series lead.

Victorino was the hero tonight with his grand slam but Brett Myers deserves a ton of credit not only for what he did on the mound, but how he kept the Phillies second inning rally going. With two outs and Pedro Feliz on third base, Myers made Sabathia work by fouling off a series of pitches before earning a 9-pitch walk. Here was the sequence of pitches for Myers:

Pitch 1: Swinging strike (0-1 count)
Pitch 2: Swinging strike (0-2 count)
Pitch 3: Ball (1-2 count)
Pitch 4: Foul (1-2 count)
Pitch 5: Ball (2-2 count)
Pitch 6: Foul (2-2 count)
Pitch 7: Ball (3-2 count)
Pitch 8: Foul (3-2 count)
Pitch 9: Ball (WALK)

Myers was able to climb his way out of an 0-2 count and get on base. That opened up the inning for the Phils as Jimmy Rollins walked and Victorino followed with his grand slam. Myers completed his solid effort at the plate later in the game by getting a single and also forcing Sabathia to make 10 pitches to him in one at bat before he flew out.

Myers was great at the plate but he was even better on the mound. He went 7 strong innings and allowed only two hits and 3 walks. Myers allowed one run in the first inning but he was able to bounce back and didn't allow another Brewer to cross the plate until the 7th inning.

The Phillies are now in complete control of the series. With a 2-0 lead and the Brewers not able to pitch Sabathia again until the 5th game, the Phils appear poised to go to the NLCS. The only alarming thing for the Phillies at this point is how all 8 of their runs in this series have come from two innings. Besides two big innings, they have been shut out for the other 14 innings of the series. It hasn't mattered yet, but a few more crooked numbers up on the board would make everyone a little more comfortable.

What a difference a year makes. After two playoff games last year, the Phillies and their fans were searching for answers. Now, everyone is starting to look ahead at who the Phils might face in the next round. As the series shifts to Milwaukee, hopefully the Phillies do what the Rockies did to them last year and eliminate them immediately. They can't let the Brewers stick around and force a Game 5 back in Philly. Something tells me if C.C. Sabathia gets another shot at the Phils things will turn out quite different from this game.