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  Thursday, Apr. 27 3:05pm ET
Bases-loaded walk ends Phillies' run of losses
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Mickey Morandini is not known for his speed, but it was his daring baserunning that helped the Philadelphia Phillies win Thursday.

Morandini dashed from first to third on Doug Glanville's sharp single to left and then jogged home when Bobby Abreu walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies beat Arizona 5-4.

"I knew it would be close, but I was running really fast," Morandini said. "He (Arizona left-fielder Luis Gonzalez) doesn't have a real good arm and I got a real good jump."

Arizona had beaten the Phillies five straight times this season and 10 straight.

Byung-Hyun Kim (0-1), who got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth inning, struck out pinch-hitter Mike Lieberthal to start the ninth before giving up a bloop single to Morandini.

Doug Glanville lined a hit-and-run single to left, sending Morandini to third just ahead of the throw from Gonzalez.

"That was great baserunning by Mickey Morandini," Philadelphia manager Terry Francona said. "Kim is tough to hit, but he's slow to the plate. That was a nice piece of baserunning and it changed everything."

Ron Gant walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases and Abreu walked on four pitches.

"He did a real good job just getting us to that point, any pitcher can have that problem," Arizona manager Buck Showalter said.

"We battled back, but so did Philadelphia. Our guys kept plugging away. After winning the first two games, it was good to come back in this one."

Wayne Gomes (1-0) pitched a perfect ninth inning for the win.

Philadelphia's Paul Byrd took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning before blowing a four-run lead. With two outs, Andy Fox beat out an infield single when Byrd was slow to cover first base.

"It was very frustrating. I got a late break and I stumbled a little, then I took a bad route to first. It cost me three runs and could've cost us the game," Byrd said.

Fox went to third on Tony Womack's double. Jay Bell followed with a two-run single to cut the Phillies' lead to 4-2 and knock out Byrd.

"Byrd changed speeds well all day, and really pitched well," Francona said. "If he covers first he probably gets the win."

Gonzalez followed with a game-tying, two-run homer off Scott Aldred.

Byrd allowed five hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking four. In Byrd's appearance against Arizona on April 5, he gave up six runs while getting only two outs in his worst career start.

The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the third off Omar Daal on Ron Gant's fourth homer of the season, and an RBI double by Rico Brogna.

Daal gave up back-to-back homers in the sixth. Scott Rolen led off with his seventh home run, and Brogna followed with his first of the year.

Game notes
Lenny Harris has two pinch hits this season and now has 117 in his career, fifth on the career list. Jose Morales is fourth with 123. ... Phillies pitchers had allowed first-inning home runs in five consecutive starts. ... Reliever Greg Swindell has been scored on in only one of eight outings this season. Since joining the team last year, he is 5-0 with two saves.

 


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