Offense Can't Pass Muster In 3-2 Loss

Pitching held up, but hitting couldn’t pull through in a 3-2 loss to the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Rays pitching (James Shields – ironically the only Rays pitcher to beat the Phillies in the World Series – Troy Percival and Dan Wheeler shut down the Phils for much of the day, while the Tampa bats did just enough to beat Jamie Moyer and JA Happ, who pitched the entire game. Moyer went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk – a very Moyeresque performance. Happ followed with a three-inning, four-hit, one-run, one-strikeout, one-walk line. The run was a solo home run by Gabe Kapler.

The Phillies offense was mainly fueled by Pablo Ozuna, who had two hits and scored a run. Andy Tracy hit a ninth-inning solo shot, but it wasn’t enough. Ozuna and Tracy were the only Phils to score hits off Tampa Bay pitching.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.