It wasn’t a pretty win. Far from it. Tom “Flash” Gordon blew his first save. The Phils managed to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth with Bobby Abreu up to bat. Last year, this was never a good sign – Abreu could never hit in clutch situations. And what he did last night wasn’t really a hit. It was a squeaker, really, but he bolted to first base, and when New York Mets pitcher Aaron Heilman threw the ball away, the Phils pulled out a 5-4 come-from-behind win for their ninth victory in a row.

By no means is Gordon meant to be perfect – he’d registered 10 wins in 10 attempts before last night – so we’ll give him a break. The real hand belongs to Brett Myers, who made a stellar start versus Pedro Martinez. Could this be a sign that pitching is finally coming around? Rumor has it that Cole Hamels could put on the pinstripes as early as Friday. Just another layer of drama to add – and hopefully another reason to get a few more butts in the seats at Citizens Bank Park.

Special shout out to Shane Victorino, who came off the bench to pinch run in the 8th inning last night. He nailed Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca to knock the ball loose and score a much needed run.

From the Inquirer: "I knew he had the plate covered, so the only thing I could do was go in on him and try to knock the ball loose. I think the ball shimmied its way out before I hit him, but I'm sure that had something to do with me coming down the line and him hearing me."

Sounds like a fightin’ Phil to us.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets
Citizen's Bank Park
7:05PM

Image via REUTERS/Tim Shaffer