Game Recap:
Jamie Moyer only pitched three innings, allowing six runs, and Jose Contreras wasn't much better, giving up five, as the Phillies dropped their first game back from the All Star Break to Chicago.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went 3-5 with two home runs and four RBI.
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Raul Ibanez went 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
What went wrong?
Other than those three, the only Phillies that had base hits were Greg Dobbs and Wilson Valdez.
Jamie Moyer had his second poor start of the season, lasting only three innings while allowing six runs on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.
Jose Contreras was even worse than Moyer. He allowed five runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Danys Baez continued to exist, giving up a run on four hits in an inning's worth of work.
Game Analysis:
That was not the effort that Phillies fans were hoping for in the first game after the All Star Break. Coming off of a four game sweep of the first place Cincinnati Reds, the Phils were hopeful that their momentum would carry over into this series with the Cubs.
It doesn't look like it did, though. Jamie Moyer had his second worst outing of the year last night, only going three innings while allowing six runs. He didn't have his best location last night, and when someone like Moyer can't place his pitches right where he needs to, then he's going to get hit. That's what happened in the three innings that he pitched, as he allowed a run or more in each one, including two home runs. These are the kind of outings that Moyer needs to avoid, especially now in the second half of the season. He did well in the first half, but if this is any indication of how he's going to be pitching from here on out, then it's not a good sign. It's nothing to worry about, yet, but it could become something serious if it does continue.
Then, there's the offense. Aside from two Ryan Howard two run home runs, the offense was asleep at the wheel again last night. Ryan Dempster struck out nine in almost seven innings of work, and the Phillies left eight men on base. The Cubs may be having a down season, but you still have to score runs against them if you want to win. They still have a solid offense, and it showed last night. The Phils, on the other hand, could get nothing going until the ninth inning, and then it was too little, too late. Four runs in the ninth is nice, but all it did last night was make the score look closer than it really was. Even in the Cincinnati series, the Phillies struggled to score runs in three of the four games, and that carried over into last night as well. It can't all just be Chase Utley and Placido Polanco being out of the lineup. Ryan Howard is doing his part, hitting almost .300 with 19 home runs now. It's up to everyone else in the lineup to get their act together and find a way to piece this offense back to where it's been the past three seasons.
This wasn't the best way to start the second half of the season, but it's not time to panic yet. There's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Today, Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.41 ERA) goes for the Phillies, while Ted Lilly (3-8, 4.08 ERA) pitches for the Cubs.
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