Halladay looked great early but received no help from the Phils' offense. Photo: AP
Roy Halladay had electric stuff early but was done in by a combination of base hits and walks, surrendering 3 ER in 7 IP on 2 BB, 6 hits, and 5 Ks. Michael Schwimer looked effective before Hunter Pence misplayed a sinking liner to right leading to two in the 9th and a 5-1 Phillies loss.
Not delivering with RISP: The Phillies went 0-6 with runners in scoring position, most notably in the first inning when back-to-back singles led to first and third no outs led to no runs.
Middle of the order does not deliver: Jimmy Rollins’ struggles continue, as he, Pence, and Victorino combined to go 0-12 from the 3-4-5 spots. Teams won’t win many games with 0-12s from the heart of their line-ups.
8 hits, 0 walks: Most important part of playing small ball? Getting on base. The Phillies did not walk tonight and it certainly limited their opportunities to score. Of those 8 hits, only Carlos Ruiz’s 2nd inning ground-rule double and Ty Wigginton’s 7th inning home run went for extra bases and only Wigginton and Juan Pierre in the first reached third base or further.
Polanco finding his swing?: Placido Polanco went 2-4 tonight with two singles. Is he getting his stroke back? Tough to tell. His first inning hit was more of the pre-2011 Polanco we’re used to seeing while his 8th inning base hit was a bit of a lucky bleeder. He’ll need to start hitting some more line drives before we’ll know for sure but he is making better contact.
The Phils look to bounce back tomorrow with Joe Blanton on the hill facing the Cubs Randy Wells at 7:05 at Citizen’s Bank Park and on the Comcast Network.
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