The Phillies snuck by their in-state rival the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight by a score of 3-2. With John "Despicable Me" Lannan on the DL, the Phillies were left with a decision to make as to which young starter they would call up for tonight's game.
Jonathan "Bonesaw" Pettibone received the starting the nod as the 22 year old made his major league debut. Pettibone was solid in his first call-up, throwing five and one-third innings while allowing 2 earned runs (both solo home runs), and recording 6 strikeouts.
Raul Valdes took over for Pettibone, finishing off the sixth inning before handing things over to Antonio Bastardo for the seventh. After a scoreless inning from Bastardo, Mike Adams followed him up with a scoreless frame of his own in the eighth before Jonathan Papelbon came on to record the save in the ninth. Tonight was a prime example of what proper utilization of the bullpen can do, as the relievers held the opposition scoreless, and fortunately there was not a Chad Durbin sighting.
The Phillies offense managed to squeeze out just enough runs as they slipped by the Pirates. After falling behind 1-0, the Phillies tied things up when Pettibone scored on a wild pitch from third base. The Phillies took the lead in the fourth when Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch to bring home the go-ahead run.
The Pirates weren't done yet, as they tied the game back up in the fifth, preventing Pettibone from receiving a decision in his debut. The Phillies regained the lead for good in the sixth with Rollins again driving in the run, this time on an RBI single.
On the night Rollins was 2 for 3 at the plate with 2 RBI's. Chase Utley also contributed 2 hits for the Phillies as he went 2 for 4 on the night and is hitting .306 early in the season.
Tonight's win moves the Phillies 2013 record to 9-11, as they battle to reach .500 after a rough start to the season. The Phillies will be back in action tomorrow against the Pirates with Cole Hamels getting the start.
No comments:
Post a Comment