Moyer, Phillies Bullpen Shut Out Padres
|
|
|
|
|
Phillies 45 year old veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer and 42 year old Greg Maddux engaged in an old fashioned pitcher’s standoff for six innings on Friday before leftfielder Pat Burrell broke up the 0-0 deadlock with his 28th homer in the seventh. Both pitchers lasted through seven before the Phils bullpen took care of the rest with closer Brad Lidge notching his 29th save in beating the Padres by a 1-0 score.
With Friday’s win, the Phils kept pace with the Mets who edged the Pittsburgh Pirates to remain 1 game behind. The Florida Marlins dropped to 3 1/2 games back in 3rd place with their loss to the Chcago Cubs. The 4th place Braves dropped to 11 games back after losing to the San Francisco Giants.
The two starting pitchers, veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer and Greg Maddux with a combined age between them of 88 years and 30 days, handcuffed both offenses through seven innings with only the Phils breaking through on Burrell’s 1 out solo shot which proved the game winner.
Moyer threw 98 pitches while giving up 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2. He got 12 Padres to ground out and, at one stretch between the second and sixth innings, retired 12 straight Padres. He was helped by two outstanding defensive plays; the first being a first inning double play from first base to shortstop to first base with Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins each making great plays to complete the DP. Moyer’s 11th win was his 13th straight outing where he allowed three earned runs or less.
In the fifth inning, former Phil 2nd baseman Tadahito Iguchi hit a grounder deep in the hole between short and 3rd base which Rollins nabbed and threw, while in mid-air, to nail Iguchi at 1st for the 2nd out.
Otherwise, this one was a pitchers duel both by the starters, as well as by the bullpens as the slumbering Phils offense met its slumbermates, the Padres. Both pitchers faced trouble just once.
The Phillies had a 1st and 3rd with one out situation against Maddux, who got a pop out and fly out to end the threat. Moyer faced a 2 out 1st and 3rd threat in the seventh but got his 12th groundout of the game to evade trouble.
Against any other club, the Phils would have lost 2-1 or 3-1. But against an offense in a deeper funk than theirs, the Phils won on one Maddux mistake, getting a fastball up in a zone where Burrell could pound it out.
Maddux, in losing, gave up the one run on 5 hits while striking out 4 and issuing no walks. Then the two bullpens took over and 5 Phillies went down on strikes over the final two innings. Lidge struck out the final 2 hitters he faced in the ninth inning for his 29th save in 29 opportunities.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s games, click here.
In Saturday’s game 2, young Kyle Kendrick opposes Chris Young. In Sunday’s final, lefthander Cole Hamels faces recently acquired Cha Seung Baek.
The Phillies have Monday off before returning home for a 9 game stand beginning with 3 against the Washington Nationals.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s games, click here.
del.icio.us |
digg |
Furl |
Reddit |
YahooMyWeb |