Dodgers Take Two of Three from Phillies, Gordon Pounded in 8th
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Newly recalled lefthander Fabio Castro, a reliever in the unaccustomed role as a starter, held the Dodgers to one 5th inning run and 2 hits in his 5 innings of work despite wildness and issuing 6 walks as the Phillies and Dodgers were locked in a tight 2-1 game through 7 innings. However, reliever Tom Gordon, with tank on empty, couldn’t get anyone out and was pounded for 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks in the 8th inning as the Dodgers won the series taking the finale by a 5-2 score as the Phillies’ hitting doldrums continue.
Despite the loss, the 2nd place Phillies lost no further ground in the NL East remaining 5 games behind the division-leading Mets who were edged by the NL Wild Card leading San Diego Padres in 10 innings by a 9-8 score as veteran lefthander Tom Glavine was tagged for 6 runs on 11 hits while walking 3 and closer Biily Wagner blew a 7-6 Met lead in the 9th. The Phils stayed a game ahead of the 3rd place Braves who also lost while dropping to two games behind the NL Wild Card leading Padres.
Jury is still out on whether Castro is a third pitching rabbit out of the Phiilies cap following the successes with Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin.
Conversely, winning pitcher Chad Billingsley pitched an excellent 7 innings surrendering but 1 run on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 7 against the vaunted Phillies offense which, of late, has had difficulty stringing together runs. Billingsley, who had not won since July 23, had lost two 1-0 games and was 0-4 with a no-decision thrown in during the past month.
AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi recaps the game’s scoring;
Castro became the 12th pitcher to start for Philadelphia this season and fourth to make his first career start.
Castro retired the side in the first, but walked the bases loaded in the second inning. Billingsley then worked a full count after falling behind 0-2, but swung and missed at a pitch out of the strike zone to bail out the young lefty.
Castro overcame control problems and allowed just one run in five innings. The 22-year-old left-hander… pitched out of trouble most of the game.
Castro’s wildness finally cost him in the fifth when he walked the opposing pitcher with one out. Billingsley scored on [Rafael] Furcal’s double to right-center.
Pinch-hitter Shane Victorino walked to start the bottom of the sixth, stole second and scored on [Pat] Burrell’s shot off the center-field wall with two outs.
Ramon Martinez singled leading off the seventh against J.C. Romero (0-2). He went to second on Billingsley’s sacrifice, advanced to third on Rafael Furcal’s groundout.
Juan Pierre drove in the go-ahead run with a bloop single in the seventh inning, and the Dodgers scored three insurance runs off struggling reliever Tom Gordon in the eighth to win for the sixth time in eight games.
Takashi Saito pitched a perfect ninth for his 34th save in 37 chances.
The Phils were held to 5 hits, left 4 men on base and were strikeout victims 10 times. Reliever Geoff Geary, who replaced Gordon with none out in the 8th, gave up a one out, two run single with the runs being charged to Gordon. Geary then got the side out in the 8th and went clean on the Dodgers in the 9th.
For the boxscores and recaps on this and all of Thursday’s games, click here.
The Phils now open a 3 game weekend series with the San Diego Padres for the wild-card lead followed by the much-anticipated 4 game confrontation with the NL East leading New York Mets.
Starting pitchers have been announced for Friday’s and Saturday’s games with the Padres. Lefthander Jamie Moyer opposes Greg Maddux in Friday’s opener. On Saturday, Kyle Lohse faces Clay Hensley.
For the scores, boxscores on all of Friday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.
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