Game Recap:
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.
As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.
Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.
I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.
Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.
No comments:
Post a Comment