The Phillies bats fell largely silent again in losses; on Friday to Atlanta by a  7-4 score and on Saturday to Cincinnati by a 7-0 score.

Although Phillies hitters continue to struggle and no one Phil had more than one hit in either game, manager Charlie Manuel explained that he is not worried about the offense.

Yahoo Sports’ AP recap reports;

Manuel remained unconcerned about the Phillies’ continuing offensive struggles. They were held to just six singles by four Reds pitchers in a 7-0 loss on Saturday.

“This is the part of spring training where it’s kind of a down part,” Manuel said. “Eventually, in the next three or four days and when we get to Philly, you’ll see some things pick up.

“It’s better to have a down period in spring training than a down period when the season starts.”

Pitching, particularly the bullpen, remains the team’s primary focus.

“We’ve got to get our command. We’ve got to throw strikes. We’ve got to get ahead of hitters,” Manuel said. “Our offense will be there. I guarantee you it will.”

In Friday’s game, Phillies starter and losing pitcher J.A. Happ gave up 2 runs, one each in the 1st and 2nd innings, while going 5 innings and giving up 3 hits and walking 3 while striking out 6. Reliever Ryan Madson pitched a perfect 6th inning striking out 1.  The Phils notched a run in the 4th innning of of Braves starter Kyle Davies who gave up 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4.  After 6 innings, Atlanta held a slim 2-1 lead.

But then the Phils bullpen got ripped again.  In the 7th inning, pinch hitter  Brayan Pena hit a 2 run shot off of Matt Smith and the Braves went up 4-1.  Reliever Antonio Alfonseca gave up a run on 2 hits in the 8th and Tom Gordon only lasted 2/3rds of the 9th inning giving up 2 runs as the Braves led 7-1 going into the Phillies 9th inning.

The Phils tried to get back into the game in the home 9th.  Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs hit his 4th homer of the spring, a 3 run shot off of Chad Paronto but it turned out to be too little, too late.

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On Saturday, the Reds drubbed Phils starter Adam Eaton for 5 runs on 8 hits, including 2 homers, as Eaton walked 3 while striking out 3 and Cincinnati charged off to a 4-0 lead over the Phils after 2 innings.  Eaton lasted 4 2/3 innings.

In the meantime, Reds starter Bronson Arroyo was sharp holding the Phils to 5 hits in 6 innings. Arroyo walked 1 and struck out 6. The Reds’ bullpen was nearly flawless, only allowing the Phils 1 hit over the final 3 innings.

Phils reliever Clay Condrey pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings after replacing Eaton.  But then relievers Fabio Castro and Eude Brito each gave up a run in the 7th and 8th innings respectively.  The run off of Brito was on a solo blast by catcher Chad Moeller.

Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was 2 for 4 in his first spring training appearance.

Yahoo sports’ AP recap reports on Griffey Jr.’s first spring outing;

Griffey made his long-awaited spring training debut, singled in his first at-bat, later doubled and made two routine plays in his new position of right field Saturday during the Cincinnati Reds’ 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The only thing he didn’t do was talk about it.

Griffey’s absence from the lineup was the biggest drama in Reds camp. He broke his left hand while playing with his children in December, an injury that was expected to be fully healed when camp began.

It wasn’t. Soreness kept him out of the lineup and prompted manager Jerry Narron to raise the possibility of putting Griffey on the disabled list to start the season.

Asked if he thinks there’s enough time for Griffey to get ready for the season opener, Narron said, “I sure hope so.”

In the meantime, Yahoo’s AP reports that while pitcher Freddy Garcia and catcher Carlos Ruiz should be ready for the start of the season, pitcher Jon Lieber has gone down indefinitely with a strained abdominal muscle.

The AP report from Sarasota, Fla. states;

Lieber strained his right oblique muscle on Friday and has begun treatment, the team said. There is no immediate timetable for his return.

The Phillies sent Lieber to the bullpen on Wednesday, and a day later the right-hander pitched in relief against Boston, working two scoreless innings and striking out three. He had been dangled as trade bait as the team searched for a late-inning reliever.

Garcia and Ruiz were diagnosed with mild biceps tendinitis by team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti.

These and all Friday and Saturday game scores, boxscores and recaps can be found here and here.

Inquirer Staff Writer Jim Salisbury and other sources are reporting that Brett Myers has gotten the starting nod for the Opening Day game vs the Atlanta Braves on April 2.
The Phillies host the Minnesota Twins in Clearwater on Sunday.

Philly.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that;

Lefthander Cole Hamels starts this afternoon against the Minnesota Twins at Bright House Networks Field. Antonio Alfonseca, Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon also are scheduled to pitch.

This and all Sunday game scores, boxscores and recaps can be found   here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary, Off-Season Action, Phillies and NL East, Analysis, Predictions, etc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.