Hamels Loses on Early HR, Phillies’ Sleepy Offense
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Lefthander Cole Hamels had an effective outing after being touched for a second inning two-run homer by Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill. Hamels struck out three and gave up three runs on five hits in five innings of work.
But the Phillies offense fell silent in the chilly air of late March in Citizens Bank Park as Blue Jays’ young starter Randy Wells struck out slugging first baseman Ryan Howard on three pitches with runners on first and third in the first inning enroute to a 3-1 win over the Phils on Friday night.
The AP recap for Yahoo sports notes;
Toronto manager John Gibbons was pleased to see starting pitcher Randy Wells go after Phillies slugger Ryan Howard…
“You’ve got to be able to do that to the top hitters, keep them off balance,” Gibbons said. “You also have to have the ability to do that, and Randy has that ability. It’s a good test to help him gain even more confidence.”
Pitching-wise, both bullpens were impressive, particularly the Phillies’ pen, and specifically Chad Durbin who tossed perfect two innings while striking out four Blue Jays. Ryan Madson and Clay Condrey also pitched well as they both concluded solid springs.
MLB.com’s Joseph Santoliquito cites;
Wes Helms drove in the hosts’ lone run with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, scoring So Taguchi.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced before the game that Adam Eaton is the fifth starter entering the season, in essence claiming that he gained the slot by default as noone stepped up to take the role from him.
Personally, I don’t understand Manuel’s reasoning. As I indicated previously, Chad Durbin showed far better than Eaton this spring and therefore merited the fifth spot.
But Charlie’s manager and I’m not. Durbin remains on the roster in the bullpen to start the season. So he’ll be available for insertion into the starting rotation should Eaton falter and show reversion to 2007’s 6.29 ERA form.
The Phils also announced that they claimed relief pitcher Tom Leahy off waivers from the Cubs, apparently as bullpen insurance to start the season. To make room on the roster, they sent right-hander J.D. Durbin, infielder Ray Olmedo who hit well this spring, and outfielder Chris Snelling to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Two lefties go head-to-head on Saturday as Toronto’s John Parrish faces the Phils’ elder lefty Jamie Moyer at 1:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park in the spring training finale.
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