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 But he appears to be worried only about the present -- and making
the most of it.
He did so once again Wednesday night, belting a go-ahead, two-run
homer as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning to propel the Phillies
to an 8-4 victory over the Washington Nationals.
"It's great to be back playing and healthy," said Sizemore, a
four-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians earlier in his career.
"I'm enjoying it and having fun and just hoping to build off of that
and keep going."
Right fielder Marlon Byrd and shortstop Jimmy Rollins also homered
for the Phillies, who scored six runs in their last three at-bats to
complete a three-game sweep of the National League East leaders.
Philadelphia (61-72), which had 15 hits, won for the sixth time in
seven games.
Center fielder Denard Span had a single, a double and a homer for
the Nationals (75-57).
Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (7-11) went six innings to earn his
second consecutive victory. Kendrick, who beat the St. Louis
Cardinals in his previous start for his first win in nearly a month,
allowed four runs and seven hits while striking out four and walking
one.
Washington carried a 4-2 lead into the sixth, but Byrd led off the
inning with a single off Doug Fister (12-5) and scored on a double
by left fielder Domonic Brown. Two outs later, Sizemore, batting for
Kendrick, ripped an 0-2 curveball from Fister into the right-field
seats for his second homer in 38 games with the Phillies.
"It was just a ball up in the zone," he said. "I was able to do
something with it. I fell behind. Just trying to put a good swing on
it. ... Two strikes, you're just trying to battle and protect."
It was also the first career pinch-hit homer for Sizemore, who began
this season with the Boston Red Sox but was released on June 18. The
Phillies signed him a week later, and after some time at Triple-A
Lehigh Valley he surfaced with the big club.
"He's a quality bat," manager Ryne Sandberg said of the .307-hitting
Sizemore. "He puts the bat on the ball. He does a nice job. ... And
obviously he can play the outfield."
Sizemore is also a free agent after this season, but he said he will
worry about that when the time comes.
"I haven't really looked past this year, so we'll see how it goes,"
he said. "Just want to finish strong and finish healthy."
Fister hit center fielder Ben Revere with a pitch immediately after
Sizemore's homer, prompting plate umpire Dan Iassogna to issue a
warning to both benches.
An inning later, Byrd hit a two-run homer off reliever Ross
Detwiler. It was the 24th homer of the season for Byrd, tying his
career high. He went 3-for-5.
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who also went 3-for-5, added an
RBI single in the eighth.
Fister, who dropped his second straight start, worked 5 2/3 innings
and allowed five runs (four earned) and 10 hits. He struck out three
and walked one.
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Span singled to open the game, and he scored on a double by third baseman
Anthony Rendon. Two outs later, shortstop Ian Desmond singled Rendon
home, making it 2-0 and swelling Kendrick's first-inning ERA this season
to 10.00.
The Phillies knotted it in their half of the first -- on Rollins' 17th
homer of the season, a solo shot with one out, and an error by Span
following a single by first baseman Ryan Howard.
Span doubled and scored in the third and homered with one out in the
fifth, giving Washington a 4-2 lead. The homer, Span's second of the
season, was a 427-foot shot into the second deck in right field on a 2-2
fastball from Kendrick.
Kendrick settled down after that, allowing two runs and three hits in
his final five innings. He said Rollins told him he might have been
tipping his pitches.
As a result, Kendrick said he "changed some things in (his) glove. That
could have been it."
The Nationals, who won 12 of 13 entering the series, betrayed no concern
afterward.
"Not at all," manager Matt Williams said. "We always have the same
approach, win or lose: We look forward to the next one. We know, if we
do things correctly, we have a good chance to beat the other team."
NOTES: The Taney Dragons, the first Philadelphia team to go to the
Little League World Series, were honored during a pregame ceremony. All
of the players threw out ceremonial first pitches. ... Phillies manager
Ryne Sandberg downplayed an incident from the eighth inning of Tuesday's
victory, when LHP Cole Hamels appeared to show up Sandberg by leaving
the mound before the manager arrived to remove him from the game.
Sandberg met briefly with Hamels on Wednesday. ... Phillies OF John
Mayberry Jr., on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, had his
injured wrist examined in Philadelphia. Sandberg said Mayberry would
continue his rehab assignment and, if all goes well, rejoin the team
Sept. 1 in Atlanta. ... Nationals 1B Adam LaRoche, reduced to a
pinch-hitting role Tuesday because of tightness in his back, returned to
the starting lineup. ... Washington OF Steve Souza Jr., currently
rehabbing a shoulder injury at Class A Potomac, was selected the
International League MVP and Rookie of the Year.
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