The Phillies defeated the visiting San Diego Padres for a 2nd consecutive night, this time riding a strong performance from rookie lefty starter Adam Morgan to a 4-3 win at Citizens Bank Park.
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Morgan (5-4) went 6 innings, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 3 and walking no one. He allowed a pair of runs, both unearned, and threw 59 strikes in his 88 total pitches. It was his 7th Quality Start among the dozen he has made.
On the Padres side, rookie righthander Colin Rea wasn’t quiet up to matching Morgan on this night. Rea (2-2) allowed 6 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 and walking 2 batters.
The Phils got on the board first when rookie Darnell Sweeney, obtained in the Chase Utley trade, followed a leadoff Ryan Howard single with his second homer of the season to center field in the 2nd inning.
The Padres got those runs back right away in the top of the 4th. Matt Kemp led off by reaching on a throwing error by Freddy Galvis, the 4th error in the last four games by the Phils’ shortstop. Morgan retired the next two batters, so should have been out of the inning.
Instead, Yonder Alonso and Melvin Upton slapped back-to-back RBI singles to tie things up. The tie didn’t last long, as the Phillies scored twice more in the bottom of the inning. Galvis atoned for his error with a 2-out RBI double, and Morgan followed by singling in a run to make it 4-2.
That score would hold into the 7th, when Jerome Williams, moved to the bullpen on Friday, came in to relieve Morgan. With one out, Williams hit Clint Barmes with a pitch and yielded a single before recording the second out of the inning.
Manager Pete Mackanin then brought in Luis Garcia, who promptly gave up an RBI single to Jedd Gyorko, cutting the lead down to 4-3. But Garcia then struck out Kemp swinging with the tying run at 2nd, ending the Friars’ threat.
Garcia came back out and got through the 8th with no damage, and then Ken Giles came on for the 9th. The Phillies’ new closer shut the game down with a 1-2-3 inning for his 11th Save in as many chances, and the home fans celebrated with fireworks, a clanging, flashing Liberty Bell, and Harry Kalas singing “High Hopes” on Phanavision.
In the Sunday afternoon finale, the Phillies will send out yet another rookie hurler, as Alec Asher will make his MLB debut. Another who came as part of the Cole Hamels package at the trade deadline, he will be opposed by Padres’ veteran righty ace James Shields, who could be making his final San Diego start after passing through waivers.
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