The Philadelphia Phillies lost the first game of their series with the Mets on Thursday night, falling 4-1. Their record drops to 23-28.
- David Buchanan made his second start of the season, and pitched another decent game, allowing four runs over 6.2 innings.
- One of Buchanan’s runs were unearned, and he allowed seven hits and two walks.
- The heart of the order (Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard) combined to go 0-12 with nine strikeouts.
- Howard struck out all four times he stepped to the plate.
- For Rollins, its the fourth time in the last five games he’s gone 0-4. He’s just 1-16 since being moved back to the two-hole.
- Marlon Byrd drove in the team’s only run with a solo shot in the seventh inning.
- Domonic Brown turned in another weak game, going 0-3. His average is down to .200.
- Carlos Ruiz went 1-3 with a double.
- Mario Hollands got the final out of the seventh, and returned to pitch a clean eighth.
- Justin De Fratus and Antonio Bastardo combined to pitch a scoreless ninth.
Final Thoughts
Games like this one show why the Phillies are not a viable contender, even in a weak N.L. East.
The New York Mets are another mediocre team, with a 25-28 record. The Phils have a chance to put them in their place and gain some ground in standings against a division foe at home, and they start out the series with another pathetic four-hit, one-run effort that results in yet another loss.
Tags: Phillies
