All about Asche. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Coming into today’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies were sitting (relatively) pretty. 2-1 in the series and 5-1 in the last six games, the team had only the young, struggling Carlos Martinez in their path for two straight series wins. However, the world is a cruel place, and the Phillies lose this game, 5-3.
Scoring came slightly easier today than in last night’s 1-run outing, but it still wasn’t horribly productive. Cody Asche was the man of the night, knocking a bases-clearing double in the 2nd inning against Martinez. He’d compliment that with a single later on, but he earned all three of the game’s RBIs in that instance.
Ryan Howard also had a multi-hit game today, with singles in the 2nd and 3rd innings, complimenting those with a walk in the 6th. The only other hit in the game came in the form of a Cesar Hernandez pinch hit single in the 7th inning.
Speaking of Hernandez, it would be nice to see him get a little more consistent playing time in upcoming games. The remaining position starters, Ben Revere, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, John Mayberry Jr., Domonic Brown, and Cameron Rupp, were all hitless.
However, I’m a big fan of seeing additional playing time for Cameron Rupp. I’m a big fan of the outstanding defensive reports he’s garnered, and his bat has a ton of power, despite a likely low average.
His phenomenal pitch framing was showcased tonight on a questionable called strike, while handling Ken Giles.
On the pitching side of things, Kyle Kendrick didn’t have his best stuff tonight. In his 6.0 IP, Kendrick allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, and 1 walk, while only striking out two.
His sinker was ineffective tonight, only earning 9 groundouts to 6 flyouts. Mario Hollands, Justin De Fratus, and Ken Giles pitched a total of two clean innings, with 3 K, 1 H, and 1 BB.
Interesting to note is that the Phillies now have five relievers on the active roster with sub-3.00 ERAs (Hollands, De Fratus, Giles, Jonathan Papelbon, and Antonio Bastardo).
The Phillies next return home for a four game series against the Miami Marlins beginning Monday – Roberto Hernandez will face Nathan Eovaldi.