Phillies, Pirates Tie at 5 in Final Fla. Game
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The Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates battled to a 9 inning 5-5 tie in the Phillies’ final Florida exhibition game.
The Phils hit the scoreboard first in the 1st inning as rightfielder Matt Bourne led off with a single, stole second base and scored on 2nd baseman Chase Utley’s double. Bourne was 2 for 5 for the game. Ryan Howard singled up the middle and Utley scored on an infield throwing error.
The Bucs got a run back in the bottom of the 1st inning on leftfielder
Jason Bay’s RBI double to leftfield off of Phils starter J.A. Happ. Bay was 2 for 3 for the game with 3 RBIs, all off of Happ.
The Phils went up by 4-1 in the 3rd inning on back-to-back solo homers by Howard, last season’s MVP 1st baseman who broke out of a horrid spring training slump by going 2 for 3 including this mammoth shot, and leftfielder Pat Burrell. All 4 Phillies runs were scored off of Pirates starter Shawn Chacon.
AP sports reporter Alan Robinson described Howard’s blast for Yahoo sports;
Howard hit a long home run that landed on a practice field next to McKechnie Field…. Howard’s drive to right-center easily cleared the wall and bounced off the infield of a diamond that is used for pregame fielding practice. Pat Burrell followed with another homer two pitches later. Howard had been only 1-for-21 and hadn’t hit a homer since March 8, a slump that was bothering him even though the games don’t count until next week.
“That one got some attention, didn’t it?” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “I think one swing can change the whole outlook sometimes.”
Howard, playing in his final Florida exhibition game, went 2-for-3 and is hitting .226 with three homers and 10 RBIs this spring.
The Phillies lead was short-lived as the Bucs came back with 4 runs off of Happ in their 3rd inning to take a 5-4 lead. Jason Bay doubled again driving in 2 runs. 1st baseman Adam LaRouche followed with a double scoring Bay. Then young 1st baseman Brad Eldred capped the scoring with a double scoring LaRouche. That would be it for Pirates scoring as the Phils bullpen, rising to the challenge as Opening Day approaches, barred the door over the remaining 6 innings allowing but 3 hits and surrendering 2 walks in the 9th inning.
On the Bucs side, their bullpen was nearly as good, only surrendering the tying run as Brent Abernathy singled to leftfield scoring rightfielder
Jayson Werth.
For boxscores and recaps on this and all of Thursday’s games, click here.
The Phillies bullpen picture has become clearer as Opening Day approaches. Philly.com’s Paul Hagen reports that Ryan Madson has emerged as the set-up man for closer Tom Gordon. Hagen writes;
After an inauspicious start, he has steadily improved. He has a 1.86 earned run average and hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last seven outings, covering 8 2/3 innings.
A week ago, Charlie Manuel said he couldn’t name the reliever he’ll use to set up closer Tom Gordon. Now he can.
“When you look at our bullpen, he’s the ideal guy for the eighth inning,” the manager said. “And he’s also a guy who could step in and close for us if we needed.”
As a rookie in 2004, Madson had a 1.65 earned run average in 51 relief appearances. The following year he made 78 appearances, but his ERA rose to 4.14. Last year he shuttled between the bullpen and the rotation (17 starts) and mastered neither as his ERA ballooned to 5.69.
So coming into this season, Madson was told two things. One was that he should focus on being a reliever. The other was that he should junk his big curve in favor of a cutter. And the results so far have been impressive.
“It’s better [working out of the bullpen]. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” Madson said. “And the cutter is working good. I’m getting more comfortable with it.”
And just maybe he’s pitching with a little chip on his shoulder, which isn’t a bad thing.
“I don’t think we’re one of the worst bullpens in the league,” he said. “Far from it.”
If he keeps pitching as well as he has, he just might be right.
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who didn’t play against the Pirates, has been having a red-hot spring. Hagen recaps his performance through Wednesday’s victory over Tampa Bay;
Jimmy Rollins continued his torrid spring, reaching base all three times he came to the plate with a single, double and a walk. That raised his batting average to .386 and his on-base percentage to .493.
The Phils come north today to host a pair of games in Citizens Bank Stadium against the Boston Red Sox on Friday and Saturday.
Inquirer staff writer Todd Zolecki reports that young lefthander Cole Hamels will face Julian Tavarez for Boston on Friday and that Adam Eaton will be opposed by Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka (For those having trouble with pronounciation, just call him Dice-K.) for Boston in Saturday’s game.
For boxscores and recaps on these and all of Friday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.
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