Morning Phil Up – 4/16/2014 – After a rain-induced off day, Cliff Lee will lead the Philadelphia Phillies against the Atlanta Braves
By Mike Lacy
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday’s Game
Rainy conditions caused Tuesday night’s game to be postponed. It has not been announced when the makeup day will be, but it will not take place during this week’s series.
Today’s Game
Atlanta Braves (9-4) at Philadelphia Phillies (6-7)
Game time: 7:05 PM
TV: PHL17
Starting pitchers: Julio Teheran (1-1) vs. Cliff Lee (2-1)
Quick Preview
The rain out forced the Phillies to stew in the aftermath of Monday’s disappointing loss for another day, but it also provided another day of rest for the overworked bullpen. Jonathan Papelbon and Antonio Bastardo have both had two days off, which should be beneficial if the Phillies need to preserve a late game lead tonight.
It would also benefit the bullpen if Cliff Lee could go deep in the game. Phillies starters have only pitched past the sixth inning twice in 13 games. That’s left a lot of innings for the bullpen to cover, and they haven’t exactly done an exemplary job of it.
The Braves decided to skip the turn of Tuesday’s scheduled starter David Hale, and instead will go with Wednesday’s originally scheduled starter Julio Teheran. This change would not seem to benefit the Phillies, as Teheran is one of the best young starters in baseball.
Link of Interest
Philly.com – Rosenberg turns to Duck Dynasty after poor outing
B.J. Rosenberg‘s outing on Monday night wasn’t just bad, it was historically bad. He faced three batters, and all three hit home runs. He knew he would have to mentally move past the game as quickly as possible, so he turned to an unlikely source: Duck Dynasty. Rosenberg watched two hours of the reality show, and it allowed him to stop worrying about the past and start looking towards future success.
Tweet of Importance
We knew the Phillies’ rotation wasn’t going to be as good as it was in 2011. But they certainly need to be better than they have been.