The Phillies, and their manager, Charlie Manuel got the last laugh Tuesday.

With two outs and the game scoreless in the top of the seventh, Manuel called on Ben Francisco to pinch hit for pitcherCole Hamels.

The 29-year-old, who had had only 51 at-bats since the All-Star Break, hit a three-run home run 405 feet to left-center field and Hamels threw six innings of shutout baseball in the Phillies’ 3-2 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday at Busch Stadium.

It was Francisco’s first home run since May 25 against the Reds, and in his three seasons with the Phillies, only the second home run he’d hit that had given his team the lead. The only other one came on Aug. 11, 2009 againstKevin Gregg.

Game 4 is Wednesday at Busch Stadium.

In the 28 games that Francisco had an at-bat since the break, he had just 15 hits, three RBIs and was hitting .294.

Yet Manuel turned to him in a big moment, and Francisco delivered, giving the Phillies life much the same way Matt Stairs did with his pinch hit home run in Game 4 of the 2008 NL Championship Series against theDodgers.

Read the full article here:
Shaquille O’Neal Brings OTC:SOUP to the Supermarkets of America – Live Trading News