Game Recap:
The Marlins scored five runs in the first inning off of Jamie Moyer, and that was all they needed tonight, as Ricky Nolasco coasted to a complete game victory over the Phillies.
What went right?
Nothing to see here. Jayson Werth hit a home run in the ninth inning, but that's it.
What went wrong?
The Phillies didn't get a hit until the fourth inning.
I can go through everything, but needless to say, the Phillies didn't play well on offense tonight. No one had more than one hit, and the team had five hits total.
Jamie Moyer had a rough outing, allowing five runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, all it takes is one bad inning to undo an entire game. Tonight, that's exactly what happened, as Jamie Moyer got lit up in the first inning, and the Phillies paid the price for it, dropping their second game to the Marlins 5-1.
Tonight's game is all about the first inning that Jamie Moyer pitched. After getting the first batter of the game out, Moyer allowed the next five batters to reach base, and by the time the dust cleared, the Marlins had five runs. Thanks to Ricky Nolasco, that was all that Florida would need tonight. I could go on talking about how Moyer needs to be dropped from the rotation, but with Kyle Kendrick being the only other option once Joe Blanton gets healthy, that's not going to happen. I'll take Moyer and his one bad inning a game over Kendrick and his four bad innings.
That's exactly what sets Moyer apart from most other pitchers that fit into his mold. While pitchers like Kyle Kendrick have a few bad innings that push them over the edge, Moyer has, at most, one inning where nothing works. After that, he's able to once again regain control and hold his team in the game. That was the case again tonight, as Moyer didn't give up another run after the five run first inning, but the Phillies couldn't solve Ricky Nolasco. I can't say that I didn't see this coming, as Nolasco has won 28 games over the past two years, but it just wasn't a good day at all for the lineup. No one had their bat warmed up, and aside from a Jayson Werth home run, no one was able to do anything. Ryan Howard had the best chance for the Phils to get back in the game, but he grounded out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. After that, it was cruise control for Nolasco, who held the Phils to just five hits, their lowest total of the season.
I can't take anything away from Nolasco, who pitched a great game tonight. He kept the Phillies guessing, and that's what did the job tonight for the Marlins. They took advantage of a big first inning and ran with it, and by the time the Phillies knew what was happening, the game was all but over. I'm still concerned about Moyer in the number five slot in the rotation, but he's going to have games like this. Everyone knows it at this point. Moyer is 47 years old and throws an 82 mile per hour fastball at best. He's going to get hit if it's not perfect. Honestly, if the offense is playing like they can, I'll take a Moyer in the rotation over a Kyle Kendrick. At least Moyer can understand what he did wrong and improve it. Kendrick just keeps trying the same things over and over again, and they don't work. Moyer may be old, and his fastball may be a normal changeup, but he's still a decent fifth pitcher. I'm not ready to get rid of him yet, regardless of how he's pitched so far this year.
Tomorrow, the Phillies go for the series win with Cole Hamels (2-0, 5.06 ERA) on the mound. He'll face off against Nate Robertson (1-0, 3.60 ERA).
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