Bastardo’s Gem Debut, Ibanez Power Phillies Past Padres
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Recently called-up 23 year old Phillies lefthander Antonio Bastardo was impressive in his MLB debut outing against San Diego. Leftfielder Raul Ibanez had another huge game, his most productive as Phil, with 2 homers and 5 RBIs as the Phillies tattooed an ailing Jake Peavy and 3 other Padres relievers. Despite Chan Ho Park nearly letting San Diego back into the game in seventh, Bastardo’s gem debut and Ibanez’s big game powered the Phillies past the Padres by a 10-5 score in Tuesday’s series game 2.
With the win, the Phils managed to put 2 1/2 games distance between themselves and the 2nd place Mets in the NL East. Mets ace Johan Santana was bested by Zake Duke and the Pittsburgh Pirates by a 3-1 score on Tuesday in a classic duel of lefthanders. With the win, the Phillies upped their record to a season-best 30-20, 10 games above the .500 mark.
The Phillies made things relatively easy for young Antonio Bastardo from the outset by scoring 4 first inning runs of an ailing Jake Peavy who was suffering the effects of a viral upper respiratory infection.
After shortstop Jimmy Rollins flied out, centerfielder Shane Victorino walked and stole 2nd base. 2nd baseman Chase Utley walked as well and both were driven in by 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s ringing double to rightfield. Ibanez followed by doubling in Howard with the 3rd run. Rightfielder Jayson Werth singled putting runners at the corners. Greg Dobbs, getting a rare start spelling Pedro Feliz at 3rd base, drove in the 4th run with a sacrifice fly to leftfield. Peavy managed to get catcher Carlos Ruiz to fly out to centerfield. Ruiz was the last hitter that Peavy would face on the night.
Peavy threw 33 pitches in the inning giving up 4 runs on 3 hits while walking 2 and striking out none to lose his 6th game of the season.
The Phils continued their bombardment by pounding Padres relievers scoring 2 runs in the third on the 1st of Ibanez’s 2 homers and a run in the fourth on Utley’s ground out following a Victorino triple. Dobbs solo homered in the fifth staking Bastardo to an 8-0 lead.
The young lefthander was excellent in facing only one jam, in the Padres third when leadoff hitter and centerfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and 2nd baseman David Eckstein both singled to start the inning. But 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez grounded an 0-2 pitch into a doubleplay but advancing Gwynn to 3rd base. This was the only time that Gonzalez was retired in the game, having walked 3 times and homering. Bastardo worked out of trouble by getting leftfielder Scott Hairston to fly out to rightfield on a full-count pitch for the final out of the inning.
The only Padres score against Bastardo was Adrian Gonzalez’s 1 out solo shot in the sixth inning. It was Gonzalez’s MLB-leading 22 homer of the season.
Bastardo, in scoring his 1st MLB win in his 1st start, threw 102 pitches in six innings as the Phils let the 75 pitch limit fall by the wayside. Good thing they did! Bastardo gave up 1 run on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 5.
Ibanez extended the Phils lead to 10-1 with his 2nd homer, a 1 out, 2 run shot to rightfield. Ibanez now has 19 homers and 51 RBIs while hitting at a .340 clip through 50 games — quite a pace.
Reliever Chan Ho Park took over from Bastardo to begin the seventh inning. Park was abominable beyond words in nearly letting San Diego back into a game which should have been way out of reach. Check out the ESPN pitch-by-pitch on an inning too disgusting to describe. Another couple of performances like that and Park’s unconditional release would be in order. The short version of this disaster: The Padres load the bases, pinch hitter Edgar Gonzalez singles in a run — bases still jammed. Park walks Adrian Gonzalez forcing in the 3rd Padres run. Late game replacement in leftfield, Chase Headley singles to left centerfield scoring 2 more as suddenly, it is a 10-5 game. Park did manage to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Chad Durbin was sent in to pitch the eighth inning and retired the side on 10 pitches. Durbin opened the ninth getting the first 2 outs with little difficulty on a pop out and a full-count strikeout of Tony Gwynn. But then the Padres loaded the bases on a single and 2 walks. Manager Charley Manuel then went to Ryan Madson to pitch to 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff with the sacks jammed. Kouzmanoff bit at Madson’s 1st offering grounding into a fielder’s choice to end the game. For his 1 pitch final out, Madson was credited with his 2nd save of the season.
Madson’s save had me puzzled and I went back 3 years ago to a Blogging Baseball post as to “What is a Save?”:
Credit a pitcher with a save when he meets all three of the following conditions: (1) He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his club; and (2) He is not the winning pitcher; and (3) He qualifies under one of the following conditions:
- (a) He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning; or
- (b) He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, or at bat, or on deck (that is, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batsmen he faces)…
Note: citing from MLB official rules.
In other related news, the Phillies Nation blog reports that lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero, who has been working out in a minor league rehab assignment, has completed his 50 game suspension and is expected to join the Phils for Wednesday’s series final with the Padres. Young lefthanded reliever Sergio Escalona back down to their triple-A Lehigh Valley affiliate.
For all of the scores of Tuesday’s games, click here.
Hopefully, the Phillies are thinking sweep as young lefthander J.A. Happ is matched against Chris Young in Wednesday’s series final.
From San Diego, the Phils head to Los Angeles to begin a 3 game series with the Dodgers. Ace Cole Hamels faces Clayton Kershaw in a series opening battle of lefthanders.
For all of Wednesday’s games, click here.
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