Game Recap:
The Phillies jumped on Bartolo Colon for three runs in the first three innings, Jeremy Hellickson pitched seven solid innings, and Hector Neris fought through a rain delay and a tough ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season. The Phillies moved to 7-9 on the year and picked up their first win of the season against the Braves.
What went right?
Cesar Hernandez set the table very well, as he went 3-4 with two runs scored tonight.
Aaron Altherr went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Maikel Franco didn't record a hit, but he did get an RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning that turned into the winning run.
Jeremy Hellickson pitched seven solid innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Hector Neris had a tough ninth inning, but he got his second save of the season after allowing a run and three hits in the ninth. Still, he closed the game, which is better than most Phillies pitchers can say this year.
What went wrong?
The Phillies had 11 hits, but only scored four runs. Once again, their numbers with runners in scoring position were not great.
Hector Neris did nail down the save, but he struggled, even after the rain delay. Neris gave up a home run before the delay, and ended up allowing back to back base hits, and then he worked catcher Tyler Flowers to a 3-2 count before getting a strikeout to end the game. If he's going to be the long term closer, he needs to get better.
Game Analysis:
It's only fitting the the first game I have back is a one run win over the Braves, since that was the last game I recapped on here. However, every single player on the Phillies has changed since then, but they did manage to get a win tonight, and that's good enough for me.
Going up against a 43 year old pitcher is an invitation to score runs most of the time, but Bartolo Colon is not your average 43 year old pitcher. Despite his doughy appearance, Colon pitched himself out of trouble several times tonight, as the Phillies ended up with 11 total hits, but just four runs. Luckily, the offense was able to do enough in the first few innings, as the Phillies scored three runs on a Freddy Galvis pinball single, a double by Aaron Altherr and a Tommy Joseph single. After those three runs, Colon settled down, but Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson was up to the challenge.
There has been a lack of consistency from the starting rotation this season, but Jeremy Hellickson has done very, very well so far. In four starts, Hellickson has pitched at least seven innings in two of them, and has only allowed five total runs. Tonight, he pitched seven strong innings and scattered three hits while allowing two runs. Most people, myself included, aren't sure what Hellickson's long term future in Philadelphia is, but for the moment, it's nice to see a pitcher that can handle the spotlight as well as Jeremy Hellickson has done so far. One of these days, a prospect is going to take his place, but for now, he clearly seems like the best pitcher in the rotation.
I wish that the lineup did more than they did, but a win is a win, and the bottom of the lineup did come up with a few clutch hits. Cameron Rupp went 2-4 tonight and looked very solid in doing so, and Maikel Franco drove in his 13th run of the season with a big RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning. Franco has struggled so far this year, but he's driven in four runs in the last three games, so I'm hoping that he can turn things around as the month of April comes to a close. He's a young talent, and I don't want him to collapse because of the pressure placed on him. There's still plenty of time for him to make a positive impact on this team.
As for the bullpen, Joaquin Benoit pitched a perfect eighth inning, and looked comfortable doing it. While the closing spot might not be the best for him, Benoit looks perfectly suited for a setup role, and that's where he should stay for the season. Luckily, the Phillies also have Hector Neris. Tonight though, Neris was a victim of the weather, as he allowed a ninth inning home run during a downpour. In my opinion, the ninth inning shouldn't have started, and the fact that it did was why that home run happened, but there's nothing I can do about that now. Luckily, Neris was able to come back out, and after allowing back to back two out hits, he struck out Tyler Flowers to finish the game and pick up his second save on the season. Neris certainly looks like the closer for the rest of the year, but I'm still worried about his long term success. Hopefully, he can put tonight behind him and keep moving forward, but if he can't, I don't know who the Phillies will turn to in the ninth.
Let's focus on the positives tonight though. The Phillies just followed up a nice series win against the Mets with a win tonight, and that's three out of four at the moment. Hopefully, things keep looking up. Tomorrow night, Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 2.75 ERA) goes up against Jaime Garcia (0-1, 4.67 ERA) for Atlanta.
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