"It's always frustrating when you're not scoring," second baseman Chase Utley said. "A lot of credit has to go to Carpenter. He pitched outstanding. He worked both sides of the plate, he threw breaking pitches for strikes and buried it in the dirt when he needed to. Roy has to be proud of himself, too. He pitched unbelievable. He had a few jams there and he worked out of them and kept us in the game."
The only run for St. Louis came during a fascinating first inning.
With the decibel level at Citizens Bank Park at a deafening level to start the game, Halladay allowed a leadoff triple to Rafael Furcal.
That's something the Phillies ace was far too guilty of the entire season as 17 of the 34 batters he faced to open a game reached base, including 16 by hits.
Furcal, however, probably would have been erased at third if center fielder Shane Victorino had not bounced his throw from the outfield in front of second baseman Chase Utley. Jimmy Rollins ended up fielding the throw and nearly got Furcal anyway.
The next at-bat was indicative of how difficult the Cardinals' hitters were on the Phillies' pitchers this entire series. Skip Schumaker fouled off six pitches, including five with two strikes, before depositing an RBI double down the right-field line for the game's first run.
Schumaker's hit came on a curveball, which was probably Halladay's most effective pitch of the night.
By the end of the first inning, Halladay had thrown 33 pitches and you had to wonder if he'd make it through six innings. He got through eight and his most impressive work might have been during his final inning on the mound.
After Carpenter reached on a leadoff single through the middle, Furcal laid down a bunt in front of the plate. Catcher Carlos Ruiz's throw was low and Carpenter was safe, leaving Halladay to deal with runners on first and second with nobody out.
