Werth’s 3 HRs, 8 RBIs Leads Phillies Rout of Toronto
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Phillies centerfielder Jayson Werth clubbed homers in his first 3 ABs, including a third inning grand slam amidst a 5 run outburst on young rookie lefthander rookie David Purcey and veteran 45 year old Jamie Moyer pitched an effective 6 2/3 innings as the Phillies pounded Toronto by a 10-3 score in Friday’s opener of a 3 game series.
With the win, the Phils are now effectively tied (.003 behind) with the Florida Marlins for 1st place in the NL East. The Marlins lost to Kansas City by a 7-6 score in their first game of interleague play. The Phils also now lead the 3rd place Mets, whose Friday game was postponed by rain, by 2 full games.
This was a career game that Werth will undoubtedly remember for a long time. He equalled the Phillies’ franchise record of 8 RBIs in a game.
The AP recap for Yahoo sports reports that Purcey, who walked 7 in 4 1/3 innings in his MLB debut in mid-April, was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after the game. Purcey walked 4 and recorded no strikeouts in giving up 8 runs on 5 hits in three innings in losing his second start.
After setting the Phillies down in order in the first inning, Werth’s second inning 3 run shot on Purcey’s 2nd pitch to him followed walks to lead off hitter 1st baseman Ryan Howard and to #5 hitter leftfielder Pat Burrell. Purcey then retired the next 3 hitters to retire the side.
In the Phillies’ 5 run pasting of Purcey in the third, shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off with a bunt single to the pitcher. Rightfielder Shane Victorino walked advancing Rollins to 2nd base, but then was caught attempting to steal. 2nd baseman Chase Utley followed by singling to right with Rollins advancing to 3rd base. Howard, extending his hitting streak to 8 games, drove in Rollins with an RBI single to right. Burrell was walked again to load the bases preceding Werth’s slam, a 425-foot shot to right on a 3-1 pitch to put the Phils up by 8-0.
Toronto scored 2 in the fourth inning as centerfielder Alex Rios doubled in a run and 3rd baseman Scott Rolen followed by singling in Rios.
Werth capped his production for the game in the fifth with a 2 out solo shot to left centerfield to put the Phils up by 9-2. Victorino capped the Phillies scoring in the sixth with a 2 out RBI double to right. Shortstop Marco Scutaro drove in what turned out to be Toronto’s final run in the seventh inning with a 2 out single to leftfield sending Moyer to the showers.
Reliever Chad Durbin got the side out in the seventh and pitched a 3 up, 3 down eighth. Reliever Clay Condrey set down Toronto in the ninth despite giving up two hits.
Winning pitcher Moyer gave up 3 runs on 7 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5 in 6 2/3 innings of work. Moyer noted that he threw better than in recent previous starts.
The AP recap notes the last Phils player to hit 3 homers before Werth’s Friday 3 homer explosion as well as the centerfielder’s, victimized starter Purcey’s, and manager Charlie Manuel’s reactions to it;
Werth became the 18th Phillies player to record three homers in a game. Ryan Howard was the last to hit three—on Sept. 3, 2006, against Atlanta in the first game of a doubleheader.
“Anything can happen on any given day, I guess,” Werth said. “This game is crazy. It’s not like I was trying to do anything like that. It just happened. I don’t know what else to say. It’s just crazy.”
“When you have balls over the plate, he’s a good hitter and he’s going to hit them,” Purcey said. “I was just trying to make a perfect pitch and fell behind on them.”
[On Werth’s solo shot off of reliever Jesse Litsch] “I hit an offspeed pitch and it was one of those things where everything clicked,” Werth said.
“If you watch him (Werth) in batting practice, he can hit the ball as far as anybody,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s games, click here.
On Saturday, Adam Eaton opposes A.J. Burnett for the Blue Jays. In Sunday’s get-away game, Kyle Kendrick opposes Toronto’s ace Shaun Marcum with his 2.22 ERA and 8 plus innings in his last two starts. On Monday, the Phils begin a road trip with 3 games against the Washington Nationals.
For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s games, click here.
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