Apr 12 2009
Phillies tap the Rockies
It wasn’t the smoothest win for Brett Myers and the Phillies, but at least it was a win. The Phightins once again found themselves in an early-inning hole thanks to their awful starting pitching, but overcame Myers’s subpar performance in the middle innings and pulled away from the Colorado Rockies down the stretch for an 8-4 victory.
Myers cruised through the first inning, but in the bottom of the second inning, Brad Hawpe stroked a double to left and Troy Tulowitzki followed with a home run to center field to put the Rockies up 2-0. The Phils answered in the top of the third inning, although it initially looked like they were going to go down quietly. With two outs, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino each singled before Chase Utley loaded the bases with a walk. After only going 3-for-16 in the first four games of the season, Ryan Howard seemed to break out of his funk and smoked a bases-clearing double to deep left center field to give the Phils a 3-2 lead.
Colorado responded in the bottom of the fourth inning when Garrett Atkins roughed up Myers on a solo shot to left that tied the game at 3-3. The Phillies once again worked some two-out magic in the top of the fifth inning when Utley and Howard each singled to put runners at the corners for Jayson Werth, who sliced a triple down the right field line that put Philly back in front 5-3. However, Colorado got one back in the bottom of the inning when Clint Barmes went yard on another solo homer. So, if you’re keeping track at home, Myers has given up six homers in 13 innings over the course of his two starts. As a team, the Phils have given up a Major League-leading 12 home runs. That’s downright pathetic.
The Phils added insurance run in the seventh inning when Raul Ibanez hit his second jack of the year. The lead was extended a tad more in the eighth inning on an RBI single by Utley that plated Victorino. Just for good measure, Pedro Feliz stroked an RBI single to center that plated Ibanez to seal the win as Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth inning in a non-save situation.
While the win was good, the pitching is still a major red flag. With the way that they’re throwing the ball right now, the Phils will be playing from behind in pretty much every game. If the pitching doesn’t improve ASAP, the World Champs may get KO’d for good in April.
The Phillies will wrap up their three-game series against the Rockies this afternoon when Chan Ho Park will make his first start of the season. Aaron Cook will be on the mound for Colorado in the rubber game. I really have no confidence in Park as a fifth starter. I know he threw the ball well in Spring Training, but there’s a reason why no other team even considered Park as a someone who could compete for the #5 spot in a rotation. That reason is that he sucks. I hope that he proves me wrong, but I’d much rather see Chan Oh No in the ‘pen and J.A. Happ/Carlos Carrasco in the rotation. I’m sure Park will lose his spot in the rotation soon enough.
Go Phillies!
