Game Recap:
The Phillies were shut out for the fourth time this week, wasting another solid effort from Jamie Moyer as they lost to Anibal Sanchez and the Marlins.
What went right?
Nothing on offense.
Jamie Moyer got hit with his fifth loss of the season, but this wasn't his fault. He allowed one run in six innings on four hits. He walked two and struck out two.
What went wrong?
Wilson Valdez was 0-3.
Jayson Werth went 0-4 with four strikeouts.
Ben Francisco was 0-4.
Juan Castro was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
Well, that afterglow didn't take long. Less than 24 hours after Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game for the Phillies, they respond by being shutout once again, this time by Anibal Sanchez and the Florida bullpen. That makes four times in the last seven games that the Phillies have been able to score a run, and it's starting to raise some serious concerns about their offense at the moment.
Make no mistake about it, this is a team that's struggling at the plate right now. Even last night, while Halladay was making history, the Phils only managed a single unearned run to back him up. While every team goes through slumps during a season, this is a team-wide slump that's hitting everyone. Jayson Werth might be the worst offender of all, as he's stuck in an 0-19 slump that's dropped his batting average down to .295 on the season. It can't all be that Jimmy Rollins is hurt again, because this team just isn't about Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez all hit 30 home runs last season, so this team knows how to score. It's just that right now, they're not doing it, and this act is starting to get old.
The worst part about the scoring drought is that the Phillies are wasting solid efforts from their starting pitchers. Today, Jamie Moyer allowed just one run in six innings, but ended up with a loss. In his last three starts, Moyer has allowed seven runs, and has been given exactly a single run of support back for his efforts. Regardless to say, Moyer has gotten the loss in each of his last three games, which is a shame for someone like him, as he could be at the top of the National League in wins if this offense could get their act together sometime soon. It's been said several times in this blog, but Moyer doesn't have that many great starts left in him, so to even waste a solid one like the outing today is just a bad, bad thing. I mean, I can expect the Phillies to be shut out a few times during a season, that just happens in baseball. However, four shutouts in seven games? That's going a little too far, especially for a team that has one of the best offenses in baseball.
For the week, the Phillies scored seven runs. That's it. Hopefully, a new week can bring a few runs with it. That would be nice.
Tomorrow afternoon, Joe Blanton (1-3, 5.63 ERA) tries for his second win of the season as he faces off against Atlanta and Tommy Hanson (4-3, 4.06 ERA).
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