Game Recap:
The Phillies got nine hits off of New York's pitchers, but couldn't push a run across as they were shutout for the second time in three games.
What went right?
I want to write that something went right, but when a team gets nine hits and no runs, then nothing really went the way that it was supposed to.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-5 with two strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4, but grounded into a bases loaded double play in the second inning.
Shane Victorino was 0-3.
Juan Castro went 0-2.
The Phillies left 13 men on base for the game.
Jamie Moyer didn't have his best stuff last night, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and didn't strike out a batter.
Nelson Figueroa helped put the game out of reach for the Phils, allowing the Mets to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Game Analysis:
Right now, nothing is working for the Phillies. In their last three games, the Phils have shutout twice and scored just three runs in the ninth inning of their other loss. The offense has been ice cold, and that was the case again last night against the New York Mets. They had their chances, but couldn't do anything with them, and they dropped their third game in a row.
There's nothing good that can be said about how the Phillies are playing at the plate right now. Last night, they had plenty of chances against R.A. Dickey, but they couldn't get a run to cross the plate. They loaded the bases with no one out in the second inning and looked like they were going to break the game wide open, but Carlos Ruiz weakly tapped a ground ball back to Dickey, who turned it into a backbreaking double play. Even though Juan Castro walked, Jamie Moyer struck out to end the inning, and that was the last time the Phillies would threaten until the seventh inning. Dickey's knuckleball had the Phillies off balance all night in big situations, and after facing Tim Wakefield on Sunday, the Phils can't wait to face a normal pitcher again.
Still, this recent funk can't be blamed on a couple of knuckleball pitchers. The Phillies just aren't playing good baseball right now. Every team goes through these funks during a long season, so this isn't anything to get concerned with, not yet anyway. It would be nice to see the Phils beat up on the Mets a little bit more, and that certainly could happen in the next two games of this series, but the offense has got to snap back into form, and the pitching has to do better as well. When Jamie Moyer goes just five innings and doesn't strike anyone out, that's not a good pitching effort on his part. Moyer's had good games this year, so he's still got something left in the tank, but last night wasn't his best start.
Right now, the Phillies are not a fun team to watch. Nothing is going their way, and the second injury to Jimmy Rollins looks like it's actually taking a toll on the offense. Last night, the Phils had chances, but did nothing with them, leaving 13 men on base. That's a good way to get shutout, and that's exactly what happened. It's going to take a bit more than what this team has been showing since early last week to win games, and with this road trip continuing to Florida and Atlanta after the series with the Mets, it's not going to get any easier for the Phillies.
Tonight, Joe Blanton(1-2, 5.06 ERA) will try and snap this losing streak as he goes against Hisanori Takahashi (3-1, 2.53 ERA).
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