Garza Too Much, Phils Two-Hit
When a pitcher is hot, he is hot. We have seen time and time again Roy Halladay go lights out on opponents. The same thing happened today against the Phillies in the form of Matt Garza.
Garza pitched seven innings of one hit ball against a struggling Phillies offense looking to finish April above .500. With this 5-1 loss the Phillies are 10-12 with one more game to play in the opening month.
Tough Hitting – Jimmy Rollins started the game off with a hit. The Phillies didn’t get another base runner until the seventh (a Juan Pierre walk), and their second hit didn’t come until a Hunter Pence single in the ninth.
Ailing April – This will be the first April since 2007 the Phillies will open the season with a losing record in the opening month. The Phillies are seventh in the NL in hitting and have the fourth best ERA. Those numbers alone should lead to more wins.
K’ed up Kendrick – Kyle Kendrick tied a career high with seven strikeouts in six innings of work. He did give up three runs (two earned) and lowered his ERA to 6.59. His fastball was topping out around 92-93, and he worked well out of most jams. He is no Cliff Lee, but if he ever gets some run support the Phillies should be able to win more when he pitches.
Looking for runs – Runs are not coming in bunches this season like they have in the past. In their first 22 games, the Phillies have scored a run or less eight times already and three runs or less 13 times. This pitching staff can handle giving up some runs, but the offense needs to step up.
Brighter days ahead – The Phillies can only hope Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are ready for some baseball soon. They could definitely use the help in the lineup. And fingers crossed on Cliff Lee’s oblique.
Next up – The Phillies series with the Cubs will conclude tomorrow before taking on NL East foes Atlanta, Washington and the Mets in the next three series.
