Braves Slam Past Phillies

The Atlanta Braves shut out the Phillies, 5-0 on Friday.

KENDRICK SUPERB

Kyle Kendrick was surprisingly lights out.  The right-hander pitched seven shutout innings.  He only surrendered four hits, and walked one.  He struck out five.

Unfortunately for Kendrick, Hudson was just as good, tossing seven scoreless innings.  The Phillies only managed four hits and a walk against Hudson.  Hudson earned his seventh victory of the season.

MCCANN PROVIDES THE BLAST

In the eighth inning, Charlie Manuel decided to pull Kendrick before the inning started.  Antonio Bastardo immediately found himself in a bases-loaded jam.  With two outs and a 1-2 count to Chipper Jones, it looked as if Bastardo would escape the inning untouched.  Jones worked a walk to bring in a run, and give the Braves a 1-0 lead.  Brian McCann followed with a grand slam to center field.  The Braves went up 5-0, and didn’t look back.

HOWARD RETURNS

Before Dan Baker could announce his name, Howard stepped into the batter’s box to a standing ovation.  Despite the loss, it’s always nice to have the Big Piece back in the lineup.

In his 2012 debut, Howard mustered two hits, the first being a double.  Howard finished the night 2-for-4, a decent way to return to the lineup.

GAME NOTES

The boo birds returned in full force tonight.  After Bastardo gave up the bomb to McCann, Phillies fans revealed their disappointment and anger.  It was some of the loudest boos Citizens Bank Park has heard in a long time.  It’s obvious to tell that fans are disappointed with the Phillies’ terrible performances.