Bastardo Can’t Hold 4-0 Lead
Posted by Amanda Orr, Thu, June 25, 2009 11:49 PM | Comments: 11
2009 Recaps, Posts
The Phillies scored four runs in the first inning, however rookie Antonio Bastardo could not hold the lead as the Rays came back from a four runs deficit.
Ryan Howard’s two-run double put the Phillies on the board. Matt Stairs followed with a double of his own to drive in Howard. Pedro Feliz singled in Stairs and the Phillies found themselves with an early 4-0 lead.
Antonio Bastardo could not provide the “shut down inning” and gave up three runs in the bottom of the first, including Ben Zobrist’s sixteenth home run of the year. Bastardo allowed three more runs in the second before exiting in the fourth with a shoulder injury.
Bastardo’s line was ugly: 3.2 IP, 7 hits, six earned runs, 3 walks, four strike outs, two home runs. On the other hand, Andy Sonnanstine settled down after the first inning and the Phillies did not score for the rest of the game.
Trailing 6-4 with one out and runners at the corners, the Phillies had a chance to rally in the sixth inning. Eric Bruntlett hit a fly ball to center, deep enough to score the run. Stairs tug up, but Feliz lost track of the outs and was doubled off at first before Stairs crossed the plate.
The Phillies were unhappy with home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom’s strike zone, which allowed the sixth inning to turn into a three-run inning for the Rays. Several Phillies batters were also complaining with the inconsistent strike zone before an argument broke between a few Phillies players, Charlie Manuel, and Cederstorm.
Either way, the Phillies need to tack on runs and the pitching could not limit the damage. The Phillies also continued to make mental mistakes. With the 10-4 loss, the Phillies dropped their second in a row and the series to Rays.
Posts: 0 Manny
Watch out for the Fish!
Posted: 11:51 PM on June 25, 2009
Posts: 0 4daysrest.com
Mental error after mental error with this team. It’s becoming very frustrating because now it’s not only the pitching or the lack of bats that is causing all of these losses.
The players’ heads just aren’t in it.
They better get it together, and soon, or else this 4.5 game lead that they just watched disappear will turn into a hefty deficit.
Posted: 01:32 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 eli
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Phillies need to get out of this SLUMP!
Posted: 01:41 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 » Tampa Bay Pounds Phillies to Take 2 of 3 Games | Blogging-Baseball.com
[...] with Stairs advancing to 3rd on a throwing error. Phillies Nation’s Amanda Orr describes this game’s situational mental lapse: Trailing 6-4 with one out and runners at the corners, the Phillies had a chance to rally in the [...]
Posted: 03:25 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Nick S
Phillies now are only a half game above the Mets and now only just ONE FREAKIN game above the fish. The braves are also 4 games back. It’s now a 4 team race. Phillies are in Toronto, Fish are in Tampa (cmon burrell), mets host yankees, braves host red sox. charlie manuel said it right. All the frustration is getting caught up in a big dam and soon the dam is gonna burst open like the Phillies. Hopefully that is today!!!!
Posted: 09:49 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
BASTARDO should get the Jeltz … sucky pitching is more of a problem than a baserunning mistake by Feliz!
Posted: 10:04 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
I checked up to see when it was.. June 8th..
after the Phillies beat the Dodgers, I still wasn’t sold on Bastardo.. and for good reason, I commented:
“Until Bastardo get’s that Slider working, we shouldn’t go crazy about him.. he works his fastball around the zone.. his changeup looked very deceptive at times last night.. I’m still not 100% sold on him being a difference maker for us this season”
and later..
“IF Bastardo keeps pitching this way, they might not need anyone.. but as I said, the more tape that gets around on Bastardo.. the more guys will see what his PITCH (not Pitches..) looks like.. and he’ll get smacked around.. he absolutely needs to get his Change and Slider working if he wants to have any sucess”
…..
I wish I would have been wrong but clearly Bastardo, Kendrick, Andrew Carpenter, and Kyle Drabek are NOT options for the Major League rotation..
Im guessing they’ll give Carrasco a shot.. and maybe move Joe Savery to AAA in his place? Only until they acquire some pitching help..
Bastardo, Durbin (great last year, nothing this year), and Taschner.. we need better pitching!!!!!
Posted: 10:12 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Morris Buttermaker
Bastardo should be in either Lehigh Valley or the bullpen, maybe even both. At this point in time, he does not have the stuff to be a starting pitcher in the majors. This is pathetic. The Phillies need to go out and get a real starting pitcher. I forget who it was, but some comedian once said his plan to lose weight was based on two things- chicken wings and hope. The pitching is based on two things- Cole Hamels and hope. Moyer and Blanton have pitcher very well recently. But I still do not have total confidence in them. And Happ would be a great #5. But even with Hamels as this point, you don’t feel like any of the pitchers is going to give you a really good chance to win.
I am a Phillies fan. I have seen some horrible baseball in my life. Absolutely horrible. But what bothers me about this team is how talented they actually are. It’s not like the teams from the late 90′s when Rico Brogna was the best player and the Phillies would only have one guy make the all star team. There is serious talent on this team, but too many players have their heads way too far up their own asses.
This team has played absolutely horrible for 2 weeks, and are still a half game up. They are still in a position to make the playoffs. They need to get a real #2. They have the talent offensively and defensively to repeat, but they need another starter.
Posted: 10:46 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Morris Buttermaker
Also, why is Jack Taschner on this team?
Posted: 10:50 AM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Nick S
Yah, and why the heck is Paul Bako on the roster? What has he done for us so far? It’s like having no one when you actually have someone. Seriously, like even Miguel Cairo was better than him. Atleast he got a hit and played some. Bako is just sitting and warming up the bench. Bring up Lou Marson or maybe even Michael Taylor. And please may John Mayberry Jr. be in the lineup tonight. Mayberry is a good outfielder and hitter. He’s better than Bruntlett and he’s got pop. Like seriously. If you’re not gonna play him, why bring him up. To pinch hit?
Posted: 12:53 PM on June 26, 2009
Posts: 0 Miles
Nick, no one is gonna argue that Mayberry is a better hitter than Bruntlett. But that is totally irrelevant. They play different positions. I don’t understand everyone’s frustrations with Mayberry. I would love to see him in every game against lefties and then mixed in against righties but the fact is that in a game like last night we had Stairs who had good numbers off of Sonnanstine and Dobbs who is hitting the ball much better lately. What do you want Charlie to do there?
Posted: 04:04 PM on June 26, 2009