Game Recap:
Jamie Moyer was roughed up for the third straight start as the Dodgers pounded the Phillies tonight.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins brought his batting average back to .200 with a second inning home run.
Raul Ibanez hit his tenth homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, and finished the game 1-4.
Carlos Ruiz went 2-2 with two walks.
What went wrong?
Jamie Moyer was beaten every which way in the fourth inning, allowing five runs, and then he didn't make it out of the fifth inning. He finished the game by allowing seven runs on eight hits and striking out only one.
Chase Utley's woes continued, as he went 0-3 with a walk.
Shane Victorino went 0-5 in the leadoff spot.
Ryan Howard went 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Game Analysis:
As much as it pains me to say it, Jamie Moyer needs to be taken out of the starting rotation. As each one of the other Phillies pitchers is getting better, Moyer is getting worse. This is the third straight start that Moyer has been roughed up in, and he hasn't made it through the sixth inning since a 13-2 win against Florida back at the end of April. I will always love Moyer's performance last year, but he just hasn't been sharp lately. I don't know if that's age finally catching up to him, or opposing batters just getting to him, but he doesn't have what he needs, and when a junk ball pitcher like Moyer is getting hit hard, he's not going to get people out.
It's time for J.A. Happ to get his turn in the rotation. So far, Happ has looked great out of the bullpen, and with the doubleheader coming up against Washington this weekend, it's likely that he's going to get a chance to start in one of those games. It would be the perfect chance to see how he does in the starting role, and if he does well, there's no reason not to keep him there and move Moyer to the bullpen. I know Moyer is popular, but there's only so much popularity behind an 8.15 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 35,1 innings of work. Meanwhile, the rest of the rotation is starting to form up, and Happ has a 2.75 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. There isn't going to be a better time to make the switch, and right now time is of the essence. If the Phils stick with Moyer, and he continues to struggle, it's going to be a huge problem. They can't go out there every fifth start and basically assume that a loss is coming. Each starting pitcher needs to keep their team in the game, and right now Moyer is not doing that.
Other than that, the Phils were kept quiet by Randy Wolf and the Dodger bullpen for the entire game. I don't know what's wrong with Chase Utley right now, but he needs to fix it. If his hip is still bothering him a little bit, he needs to sit a few games. There's nothing wrong with sitting for a few now if it means you'll be around the rest of the season. Hopefully, the offensive woes will stop soon, because the Phillies still need everything to come together, as I've been harping on for the past few days.
Tomorrow, the Phillies play in the second Business Person's Special of the year, as Cole Hamels (1-2, 6.17 ERA) takes on Chad Billingsley (5-1, 2.45 ERA). You might remember Chad as the pitcher who got rocked in Games 2 and 5 of the NLCS last season. Hopefully, the Phillies can remind him of that.
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