Phillies Win Game, Lose Billingsley
By Matt Veasey
3. 6. Final. 1. 82
The Phillies received 5 shutout innings from righthander Chad Billingsley last night, in what was by far his best outing in red pinstripes. That was the good news as the team downed the Miami Marlins by a 3-1 score at muggy Citizens Bank Park.
The bad news? Billingsley was pulled after those 5 innings with what is only being described as an elbow “issue” at this point. Manager Pete Mackanin addressed the situation postgame.
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“Just something didn’t look right…Stiffness, soreness … he complained about it. We felt it was in the best interest of him, especially after what he’s gone through, to take it easy.”
That “what he’s gone through” is, of course, pretty substantial. Billingsley missed the better part of two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of 2013 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As reported by MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Billingsley himself commented after the outing.
“Throughout the game I was feeling it. I don’t really know the extent of it right now. I haven’t seen the doctor or had him evaluate me. But I guess I’ll know more once that happens.”
In that outing, Billingsley (2-3) got credit for the Win, allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out a pair of Marlins batters. He threw 41 strikes in his 70 pitches prior to leaving. The Phils used four relievers to get through the rest of the game, with Jonathan Papelbon coming on to a chorus of boos from the home crowd in the 9th before notching his 15th Save.
The Phillies broke out to an early 3-0 lead against Marlins’ starter Tom Koehler (7-6) in the first two innings. Koehler went 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 3 Phils’ batters while throwing 54 strikes in 89 pitches.
In the first, RBI singles from Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown gave the Phillies the early 2-0 lead. Then in the 2nd, Cody Asche scored when he reached on an error, moved up to 2nd on a sac bunt by Billingsley, went to 3rd on another error on that same bunt play, and scored on a ground out.
In the sixth inning, Martin Prado doubled off Jake Diekman to bring home Ichiro Suzuki with what would prove to be the lone Marlins’ run.
On Sunday afternoon, Cole Hamels (5-7) and Dan Haren (7-5) will go at it in a battle of veteran arms, in what could be Hamels’ final start in red pinstripes in front of the home crowd.
Hamels remains front and center of a group of players in Phillies trade rumors as the MLB non-waiver deadline approaches, now just 12 days away.