Morning Phil Up – 4/20/2014 – Philadelphia Phillies hitting woes continue against Colorado Rockies

Apr 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles (24) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday’s Game

Rockies defeat Phillies 3-1

Quick summary

The Phillies offense continues to slump as they managed only seven hits – all singles – and one run against Rockies starter Jordan Lyles. Kyle Kendrick pitched well in the loss, giving up three runs in seven innings.

Emotional reaction immediately after the game

They can’t score more than one run against Jordan Lyles?

Less emotional, more optimistic reaction after thinking about it a bit

Every team goes through some offensive lulls throughout a season, right?

Heroes

Lyles was strong all night, and worked his way out of trouble twice. The first time he induced a bases loaded ground ball by Dom Brown that resulted in a double play. The next time, he struck out Chase Utley with a runner on third base.

Goat

Ryan Howard wasn’t given an error, but once again he didn’t come up with a ball that he probably should have.

Today’s Game

Philadelphia Phillies (7-10) at Colorado Rockies (10-9)

Game time: 4:10 PM ET

TV: CSN

Starting pitchers: Roberto Hernandez (1-0)  vs. Juan Nicasio (2-0)

Preview

The Rockies will go for the sweep behind Juan Nicasio. While Nicasio has pitched well this season, the Phillies have had success against him in the past, so there is some hope that today will be the day they snap out of their offensive slump. At the very least, it would be nice if they could manage an extra base hit, something they haven’t done since Monday.

Roberto Hernandez will attempt to serve as a stopper for the Phillies. It’s a tough order for the Phillies’ fifth starter who has never pitched in Coors Field before. He had a decent start his last time out, but it would behoove him to improve his control; he’s walked eight batters in only 16.1 innings this season.

Then again, if the Phillies can’t find a way to score some runs, it won’t really matter how well Hernandez pitches. It generally takes more than one run a game to win.

Link of Interest

Phillies Nation – Ryan Howard and the Shift

It is almost certain that when Ryan Howard comes to the plate, he’ll be facing a defensive shift. Howard hits a lot of ground balls to the right side, so it’s a smart – and effective – technique. Should Howard attempt to change his approach in order to counter this strategy? Or is he best suited to continue with the approach that was so successful for many years?

Tweet of Importance

The most impressive thing about this stat is that the Phillies actually managed to win one of the games.