Game Recap:
Cole Hamels pitched seven innings of three run baseball, but the Phillies could only manage three hits against Jair Jurrjens and the Atlanta bullpen, losing the second game of their three game series against the Braves.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez went 1-4 with a two run home run, a walk and two runs scored.
Ryan Howard was 1-4 with an RBI triple.
Cole Hamels pitched well again, allowing just three runs on eight hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
The Phillies had just three hits in 11 innings. Three hits.
David Herndon pitched well in the tenth, but couldn't record an out in the 11th, getting hit with the loss. He allowed two runs on two hits.
Mike Zagurski struck out the side in the 11th, but gave up a two run home run that proved to be the final nail in the coffin tonight.
Game Analysis:
After looking dominant last night against Atlanta, the Phillies came out tonight with a real chance to take the first two games of this series. Afterall, Cole Hamels has pitched well this year, and Jair Jurrjens was making his second start since April, and his ERA coming into the game was up in Joe Blanton territory. Instead, the Phils couldn't get anything going at the plate, getting just three hits and three runs, and they were lucky to get that.
The game didn't start out that badly for the Phillies, as Jimmy Rollins walked, stole second and scored on a home run from Raul Ibanez, but that would be the last hit for the Phillies until the seventh inning. In the five innings in between, the Phils would have exactly one base runner, and he would be erased on a double play. Meanwhile, Cole Hamels allowed just three runs through his seven innings of work. I've said it so many times this year that it's starting to sound like a broken record, but if Cole Hamels is pitching well, you have to give him run support. Once again, the Phillies waste another quality start from Hamels with poor run support. Their best chance to help him out was in the bottom of the seventh, with Ryan Howard sitting on third in a tie game with nobody out. Instead of finding a way to drive him in with a fly ball or even a base hit, Jayson Werth struck out, and Ben Francisco flew out to shallow center field. Yes, it was way too shallow for Howard to score. Jimmy Rollins would have had trouble scoring on that play. Wilson Valdez finished killing the rally by grounding out softly. It was the last real chance that the Phillies would have in the game, and they needed to take advantage of it.
There's only so much that can be said about the pitching tonight. Cole Hamels looked good again, but couldn't get the help he needed. This makes three starts in a row where Hamels has gotten three or fewer runs from the offense, and that needs to change right now. Hamels is pitching too well right now to be having this happen to him. He should have at least ten wins by now, and instead he's sitting with a 6-7 record. Then, you have the bullpen tonight, which looked solid for a few innings, but couldn't get the job done in the 11th. Without Ryan Madson, the Phils have to rely on pitchers like David Herndon and Mike Zagurski, and quite honestly, that's not good enough for this team right now. You can talk about how things will get better when Madson gets back, but honestly, things need to get better now. This bullpen isn't good enough to get the job done. Allowing one run in extra innings is a problem already, but giving up three in a a single inning in a big game is even worse.
Tonight's loss makes tomorrow's game that more important now. With a win, the Phillies can move to four games back of the Braves, but with a loss, then they would be six games behind, and with the All Star break coming up, they need to get as close as possible to Atlanta. There's still a good chance that they can catch the Braves and Mets, but they need to stay as close as possible. Dropping divisional games is not going to help their cause, not with so many players hurt at the moment.
Tomorrow, the series against the Braves finishes up. Jamie Moyer (9-7, 4.13 ERA) goes for his tenth win of the season as he takes on Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.01 ERA). This is the biggest game of the year so far for the Phillies, and a win would be huge.
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