The Phillies offense, which seemed to be coming out of it’s 24 game offensive funk until the bullpen went south in Saturday’s 13-10 loss, went back into deep sleep on Sunday leaving ace Roy Halladay without any support.  The only offense registered in this one was shortstop Wilson Valdez’s 2nd solo homer in 2 games.   The Phils mustered only 4 hits — leaving 4 runners stranded against Minnesota starter former mediorcre Yankee Carl Pavano.  Minnesota scored single runs in the first, fifth, sixth and eighth innings off of Halladay as the Twins’ Pavano shut down the Phillies offense by a 4-1 score with Minnesota taking 2 of 3 games.

With the loss, the Phils dropped to 5 1/2 games behind NL East division leading Atlanta who won their inter-league game over Kansas City.  The Phils remained 3 games behind the 2nd place Mets who were shut out by the Yankees.

Halladay threw 106 pitches, striking out 8 while giving up 4 runs, 2 of them on solo homers.  He didn’t pitch a “Doc” kind of game. but the Phils were close throughout.  With the kind of offense the Phils are capable of, Halladay deserved a “W”, not a “L”. 

Pavano, a mediocre pitcher at best, hit centerfielder Shane Victorino to open the game and then retired te next 9 Phillies in a row.   The Phils mounted their only threat against Pavano in the fourth inning as 3rd baseman Placido Polanco opened with bloop single to center and 2nd baseman Chase Utley followed with a base hit.  The two were stranded as 1st baseman Ryan Howard, rightfielder Jayson Werth and leftfieder Raul Ibanez all flied out.

Valdez got the Phils on the board for their only run with a 1 out, fifth inning homer.  But then Pavano retired the next 13 Phils in a row before Howard’s 2 out infield single in the ninth.  Werth followed by flying out to leftfield to end it.

To read more about the Phillies offensive return to la..la land, click here.

To view the scores of all of Sunday’s MLB games, click here.

The Phils have Monday off before the Cleveland Indians come to town. Their series opens on Tuesday with “the old man” lefthander Jamie Moyer opposed by Mitch Talbot, who is nearly 20 years younger than Moyer.

To view all of Monday’s and Tuesday’s games, click here and here.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 11:02 am and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary
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