Morning Phil Up – 5/3/2014 – More late inning blues for the Philadelphia Phillies
By Mike Lacy
May 2, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) slides safe;y into home ahead of tag by Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz (51) in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies, 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday’s Game
Nationals defeat Phillies 5-3
Quick Summary
An early 3-0 lead couldn’t hold up as Mike Adams and Jake Diekman imploded in the eighth inning.
Emotional reaction immediately after the game
Bleeping bullpen.
Less emotional reaction after thinking about it a bit
This one really sucked. There’s very little bright side to be found.
Heroes
Tyler Clippard allowed the first two runners to reach base in the eighth inning, but he quickly rebounded to keep the Phillies off the scoreboard. Tyler Moore had two hits including a solo home run.
Goats
Adams and Diekman turned a winnable game into a disheartening loss.
Today’s Game
Washington Natonals (17-12) at Philadelphia Phillies (13-14)
Tanner Roark. Image Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Game time: 7:05 PM
TV: CSN
Starting pitchers: Tanner Roark (2-0) vs. A.J. Burnett (1-1)
Preview
Friday night’ pitching matchup may have featured the bigger names, but Saturday’s pitchers might actually be better. Both Tanner Roark and A.J. Burnett have been dominant lately, and offense might be very tough to come by tonight.
Roark, the Nats’ second-year starter, has pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings, including his first career complete game in his last outing. Burnett has been almost as good, giving up only two runs in his last 22 innings.
This could be a close game that comes down to things like defense and relief pitching. The Phillies didn’t do well in either of those areas last night, so they’ll need to tighten things up a bit tonight.
Link of Interest
The Good Phight – Braves Invoke Phillies’ Binoculargate
The Atlanta Braves have developed a reputation for being a bit whiny. Even without noted whiner Brian McCann, the Braves are still acting like huge crybabies. Their latest offense is accusing the Marlins of stealing their signs. Because there’s obviously no way that the Marlins could beat the Braves without cheating.
Tweet of Importance
The Phillies bullpen is basically the baseball equivalent of the blue shell in Mario Kart.
— The Good Phight - x (@TheGoodPhight) May 3, 2014
I don’t even understand what this means, but I do love me some weird analogies.