Jonathan Papelbon gave up six earned in 2/3 of an inning as the Phillies lost to the Tigers 10-1.
The Good
For a 10-1 loss, this could have been a lot worse. Cliff Lee pitched a hitless two innings with two Ks and Tyler Cloyd followed with two hitless innings of his own. Phillippe Aumont was sharp in his hitless inning, registering a strikeout.
Ryan Howard continued his solid play, going 2-2 off lefties. Howard’s most promising moment of the game was his deep sac fly with the bases loaded, no out, facing an 0-2 count. Howard has looked composed with a very good eye so far.
Areas of Opportunity
So, Howard essentially was the offense today. Other than Howard’s two hits, the Phils struggled to get runners on base. Yuniesky Betancourt, Freddy Galvis, and Josh Fields all had singles, and Chase Utley, Michael Young, and Ender Inciarte all drew a walk. And that’s it. We’ll chalk this one off to an off day.
And then there is Papelbon. Super prospect Nick Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera took Papelbon deep. Mike Stutes and Raul Valdes also each struggled, each giving up two earned. Stutes in particular struggled to find the strikezone, only throwing four of 12 pitches for strikes.
The Phillies play again tomorrow at 1:05 PM at home against the New York Yankees.
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