Other than the rain, great game

I imagine the Phillies will soon begin pestering us to renew our season tickets. Perhaps they should offer better weather as part of the deal. Once again, we spent a Sunday afternoon in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park waiting for a downpour to end. The start of the game was delayed by 1 hour, 45 minutes. It washed out the pregame event: the Phillies Alumni Batting Challenge featuring Ricky Jordan, Ricky Bottalico, Milt Thompson, Mitch Williams, Ozzie Virgil and Tyler Green. The Phanatic was so eager to get things started, he helped the grounds crew roll up the tarp.

At least the game was a neat and tidy three hours as the Phillies wrapped up a series against the Pirates with a 6-3 win thanks to a clutch homer by Chase Utley, a typical Jamie Moyer outing and not-so-typical Jamie Moyer baserunning.

Christine and I sat apart today. Her Mom got a pair of tickets in the 203 section, so she sat with Christine in our usual seats while I sat with Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump in right field. See if you can spot us in this picture Christine took from 400 feet away. (Christine and I won't sit together for the Aug. 24 game either because I will be on a business trip.)

We did see a good game today. The Pirates struck first in the 2nd when former Red Sox Brandon Moss and Doug Mientkiewicz each doubled with two outs. The Phillies came back in the bottom of the third thanks to one of the craziest plays I've ever seen. Carlos Ruiz, who didn't make an out today, led off with a walk. Jamie Moyer bunted to move him into scoring position, but the pitcher, Jason Davis, threw the ball away trying to get Moyer out at first. Moyer kept running toward second, but collided with the umpire. He shoved the man in blue down and motored to second. Former Phillie RF Jason Michaels threw the ball away, allowing Moyer to go to third. The winded 45-year-old hustled home on a Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. Moyer then landed on the bench for a much deserved breather.

The game cruised until the 6th when Jason Michaels had a two-out, two-run double, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. But in the 7th, the Phillies finally had some extra base hits. Ruiz, for the third time of the day, got on to lead off an inning, this time a double. Greg Dobbs, who set the Phils' team record today for pinch hits in a season, doubled him in. J-Roll and Shane Victorino got out, but Utley homered, putting the Phils ahead 5-3. They scored a final run in the 8th without a hit as former Red Sox Craig Hansen walked three and threw two wild pitches.

Scott Eyre, making his Phillies debut, got the win with a perfect 1/3 of an inning to escape a Clay Condrey jam. Ryan Madson, the closer of the day because Brad Lidge has a sore shoulder, nailed it down.

Observations from the stands: Pat Burrell got a rare day off but had a pinch-walk in the 9th. ... Bill Dancy got the Phils' annual John Vukovich award. ... Four Harmony did the anthem; it was OK. ... Fomer Phillie Rod Barajas is one of baseball's hottest hitters; too bad Bubba Burger can't spell his name. Another former Phil, Marlon Byrd, also made the cut. ... Poor showing by the Phanatic today. Some Olympic-themed bit about a guy from Pittsburgh trying to break the world's weight-lifting record. The Phanatic pulled down his trunks and threw powder in his face. I dunno, not the furball's best effort. ... I took a break during the 7th-inning stretch, and the game broadcast was on in the bathroom. They talked about how Jason Davis was in line for his first win as a starter since 2005. Larry Andersen said, "He's in line for it, but he's not going to get it. Just a hunch." I was back in my seat in time to see his prediction come true.

Biggest cheers: The few times the sun decided to show up.

Biggest boos: The ball girl who misplayed a slow easy grounder. The left field "You suck Moss" chant that increased substantially after he dropped a fly ball.

Other game notes: There were five double plays: the Pirates turned three and the Phils turned two. ... Ryan Howard had a strange day in the field. He dropped a foul ball in the 1st. He turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP in the 4th (he hesitated before realizing he should get the lead runner before tagging first). And on a ground out in the 7th, he jumped off the bag to make sure he had the throw. He made the catch and quickly jumped back on the base. He made the correct call, but it was scary to watch. ... Jason Davis made a great play on his butt in the 4th on a comebacker hit by Eric Bruntlett.

Competitors: The Mets lost to the Marlins and trail by two. The Marlins are 2.5 out.

Red Sox: Couldn't really follow the score today because you can't see the large out-of-town scoreboard when you are sitting in the outfield. The Red Sox lost to the White Sox 6-5 thanks to another poor outing by Clay Buchholz. Tim Wakefield has some shoulder tightness and is heading to the DL; no word on who will start Tuesday.

Competitors: The Rays won their franchise-best 71st game. The Twins and Yankees lost. The Sox trail the Rays by 4.5 but lead the Twins by 1.5 games.