A day after scoring 20 runs the Phillies managed just two hits yesterday that didn’t come from their starting pitcher. Adam Eaton and JC Romero did a nice job on the mound, but former Phils Kyle Lohse and Ryan Franklin were just a little bit better.
Pat Burrell continues to swing a hot bat — his two-run homer in the fourth was all the offense the Phillies could muster on the day
The Phillies lost to the St Louis Cardinals yesterday, falling 3-2. They are 41-29 on the season.
Adam Eaton got the start for the Phillies and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, a double, a triple and a home run. He struck out two.
Skip Schumaker led off the first with a single off the glove of Rollins. Adam Kennedy was next and he hit a 1-2 pitch out down the right field line. 2-0 Cards on Kennedy’s first home run of the season. Eaton got the next three.
Chris Duncan singled to start the second, but Eaton got Yadier Molina to hit into a double-play behind him. Pitcher Kyle Lohse popped to Howard for the third out.
Cesar Izturis led off the third with a single. Schumaker hit a ground ball to short and Izturis was forced at second for the first out with Schumaker safe at first. Kennedy singled to right and Schumaker moved to third. Ryan Ludwick was left and he singled into left-center. Schumaker scored to put the Cards up 3-0, but Burrell threw Ludwick out at second for the second out. Rick Ankiel popped to short for the third out.
Eaton threw a 1-2-3 fourth with the Phils down 3-2.
In the fifth, Schumaker singled with two outs, but Kennedy tried to bunt for a hit behind him and Eaton threw him out at first to end the inning.
Ludwick started the sixth with a walk, but Eaton got the next three.
Molina led off the seventh with a double down the left field line. Lohse hit for himself and bunted back to Eaton and Eaton made a nice play to throw Molina out at third. Lohse was thrown out trying to steal second for the second out before Izturis hit a stand up triple. Romero came in to pitch to the lefty Schumaker and struck him out to end the inning.
Cardinals don’t score in an inning where they get a double and a triple. That’s hard to do.
Romero got three ground balls in a 1-2-3 eighth.
Another 1 1/3 perfect innings from the pen. Romero has been charged with one run in 9 2/3 innings over his last 12 appearances. He needed just 12 pitches to get four outs.
The Phillies’ lineup against righty Kyle Lohse went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Feliz (8) Ruiz. Jenkins in right against the righty. Ruiz catches after the big game on Friday night.
Utley walked with two outs in the first, but Howard struck out swinging behind him to end the frame.
Feliz walked with two outs in the second, but Ruiz flew to right for the third out.
Eaton led off the third with a double and Rollins moved him to third with a ground ball back to the pitcher. Victorino popped to second for the second out and Utley flew to left to leave him stranded.
Victorino can’t bring the runner in from third with one out.
Howard led off the fourth with a single. Burrell got ahead 1-0 and then drove a ball out to left-center to cut the St Louis lead to 3-2. Jenkins, Feliz and Ruiz went in order behind him.
Eaton led off the fifth with a single but was left stranded when the Phils went down in order behind him.
The Phils went 1-2-3 in the sixth with the help of two nice plays from the St Louis defense. Kennedy made a nice play in shallow right on a ball hit by Howard for the first out. Burrell ripped a ball down the third base line, but Glaus made a nice play to pick it and throw Burrell out at first for the second.
1-2-3 in the seventh. Eaton hit for himself with two outs and nobody on and the Phils down by a run. He flew to left for the third out. He got hit hard in the bottom of the inning before Romero relieved him.
The Phils went 1-2-3 in the eighth.
Still down a run in the ninth, Howard and Burrell went down to start the inning. Jenkins was next and lined a ball into right-center that Ludwick made a diving catch on to end the game. Replays clear showed that that ball was trapped, but the game was over.
Four hits for the Phils, two of which came from Eaton.
Rollins 0-for-4.
Victorino 0-for-4. Could have used a better results from him in the third.
Utley 0-for-3 with a walk.
Howard 1-for-4.
Burrell 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. He’s slugging .738 in June after Glaus took a double away from him in this game.
Jenkins 0-for-4.
Feliz 0-for-2 with a walk.
Ruiz 0-for-3.
Brett Myers (3-8, 5.34) faces 24-year-old righty Mitchell Boggs (1-0, 3.86) this afternoon. Boggs has made two career appearances, one of which was a start against the Reds on Tuesday in which he allowed two runs in five innings. He was 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts in the PCL this season. He doesn’t strike anyone out, but righties were hitting .193 against him and he had allowed just three home runs in 71 1/3 innings. Myers was absolutely terrible in his last outing, allowing five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, in 5 1/3 innings against the Marlins. The Phillies are 1-8 in the last nine games he has started.
