Phils Get Chopped

Although the Phillies are an elite team and playing at an extremely high level they are still going to lose a series every now and then. And unable to solve the stellar pitching of Derek Lowe and Yair Jurgens the Phils dropped 2 out of 3 this past weekend to the Atlanta Braves.

On Friday night the series started with an outstanding pitching performance by Derek Lowe. Lowe had a no-hitter intact going into the 7th inning until Shane Victorino laced a single to left field. But the Phils simply couldn't get anything going against Lowe who was absolutely over powering. Cliff Lee had 16 K's in 7 innings of work but he gave up 3 runs all in the third inning. In Lee's defense Raul Ibanez probably should have cought a ball hit to the wall and Rollins should have caught a line drive hit right at him. The 2 misplays resulted in 3 runs. The Braves then tacked on 2 runs in the 9th and the Braves went on to win 5-0.

Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start Saturday night but after he was placed on the 15-Day DL for lower back problems Kyle Kendrick got the call. Kendrick was surprisingly dominant and kept his pitches down in the zone which is a key to his success. At the plate Shane Victorino had an RBI triple and Ryan Howard belted a home run to give the Phillies a 3-0 victory.

In last night's rubber match the Phils bats could do little against Braves starter Jair Jurgens. Cole Hamels looked good but he missed on a few pitches which resulted in Atlanta home runs. The Phils battled back in the later innings but eventually lost by a final of 5-2.

What They Did Wrong

Cliff Lee- Although Cliff had 16 K's in his Friday night start he once again failed to have a dominant outing. I'm not too worried because I feel that Cliff will get better as the year goes on.

Offense- The Phils offense was streaky once again which is a definite concern. The Phils got shutout on Friday night and managed just 5 runs all weekend. With a tough schedule coming up the Phils need to be more consistent at the plate.

Raul Ibanez- After a breakout series against the Nationals Raul Ibanez went 2-10 against the Braves. The Phils need to figure out what to do with Raul if he continues to struggle.

What They Did Right

Kyle Kendrick- Kyle was a pleasant surprise pitching 6 scoreless innings in his spot start on Saturday. Going forward the Phils now know they have 2 young pitchers in Kendrick and Vance Worley that they can go to should any more starters go down.

Ryan Howard- Howard's HR on Saturday night put him in sole possession of second place on the Phils all time home run list. Howard passed Del Ennis and now has 260 career home runs. Ryan is a real pleasure to watch and is one of the best Phillies of all time.

Playing Hard- The Phils lost on Sunday but they fought hard and were threatening to score late in the game. It's good to see that comeback mentality in the Phils especially this early in the season.
The season sereies between the Phils and Braves is now tied 3-3. Both teams have great starting pitching and high powered offenses which will make for some great games down the stretch. Although I hate to admit it, the Braves are a good team and the Phils are going to have to play better against them starting this weekend when the Phils travel to Atlanta.