ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pinch-hitter Ben Francisco and closer Ryan Madson made manager Charlie Manuel’s moves look smart, and the Philadelphia Phillies held off the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in their NL playoff series.
Francisco batted for pitcher Cole Hamels and broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
Madson earned a five-out save. He induced a double play to escape in the eighth and gave up a run in the ninth before nailing down his first multi-inning save of the year.
The Phillies, favored to win it all after a franchise-record 102-win season, can finish off the wild-card Cardinals in Game 4 Wednesday, with Roy Oswalt opposing Edwin Jackson.
