GAME RECAP: Cardinals Flatten Phillies 9-3
Despite the less-than-desirable debut
from lefty Tim Cooney, the Cardinals ended a four-game series against the
Phillies with a 9-3 win at Busch Stadium on Thursday behind a blitz attack from
the top half of their lineup. In the third straight game featuring Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday and Matt Adams as the team's No. 2-4 hitters,
the Cardinals saw those three combine for seven hits, six runs, two walks and
six RBIs. Successive hits by the three in the first inning dropped Phillies
starter David Buchanan into a
quick three-run hole. "When those guys are swinging the bat well and you
have tough at-bats one after another, it just puts the pressure on the pitcher
and presents a different look for our lineup," Carpenter said, after
reaching base four times. "I think it was a good move that [Cardinals
manager] Mike [Matheny] made the other day and it has paid off for us this
week." Buchanan (0-5) would be chased in the fifth, which saw Holliday and
Adams deliver two more RBI hits. A two-run blast by Adams in third was the
biggest of the four extra-base hits the three tallied. Buchanan, with his 4
1/3-inning start, actually lasted longer than Cooney, who was pulled after
allowing eight of the 15 batters he faced to reach. He fell behind all but one
hitter his first time through the order and was stung by a Darin Ruf homer in the Phillies' two-run third.
Philadelphia tied the game against him but then got nothing going against the
Cardinals' bullpen. "We've struggled to put up some crooked numbers,"
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "We haven't been good on some of the
bunt attempts to give us some other chances to get some runs. Those are things
we can improve on. Everybody will continue to get some opportunities."
OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Buchanan continues
to struggle. He allowed eight hits, seven runs and three walks in just 4
1/3 innings. He finished April at 0-5 with an 8.76 ERA, which is the
highest ERA in the Majors. "I just want my team to win a game that I
pitch in," said a visibly frustrated Buchanan. "I'm not looking
at my record. I just want my team to win when I pitch in a ballgame. I
don't care how it happens. 0-for-5 right now. But -- I want my team to be
confident when I take that mound. I want to make sure that I start
pitching that way."
- Phillies left
fielder Ruf made his first start since April 23, and he went 2-for-3 with
one home run, one RBI and one walk. Ruf is tied for third on the team with
five extra-base hits, despite being a distant ninth in plate appearances.
- "Just
try to stay positive. That's all. Try to set a good example. Try to
conserve my helmets. The helmets are still alive. Bats? … The helmets are
still alive." -- Chase Utley, on
how he is keeping his composure following a .114 batting average in April.
- Phillies
right-hander Chad Billingsley made his fourth rehab start Thursday with
Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed five hits, two unearned runs, one walk
and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. His next start could be next week
with the Phillies.
- The Phillies
finished April with an 8-15 record, their fewest wins in April since they
went 7-17 in 2000. The Cardinals, in contrast, matched their
franchise-best 21-game start with 15 wins.
- Ryan Howard tied
Fred Luderus for the most games played at first base in franchise history
(1,298).
- Phillies left fielder Ben Revere is 8-for-16 in his career against Koehler. Chase Utley (5-for-13) and Ryan Howard (4-for-12) also have had success against the Marlins' right-hander.
NEXT GAME:
The Marlins had an off-day Thursday before facing the Phillies on
Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Marlins Park. It will be
the second meeting this season between the National League East rivals, both of
whom are battling to get to .500. The Marlins took two of three games in
Philadelphia on April 21-23. Tom Koehler will be trying to notch his third win
for the Marlins in the opener, while the Phillies will counter with
right-hander Jerome Williams. The Saturday and Sunday games are afternoon
contests.
PHILS PHACTS:
Buchanan (0-5) Makes Phillies History – The
Phillies hoped to see more from David Buchanan in 2015, but the wait continues.
Buchanan had another rough start Thursday afternoon in a 9-3 loss to the
Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Buchanan allowed eight hits, seven runs, three
walks, one home run and struck out one in just 4 1/3 innings as he fell to 0-5
with an 8.76 ERA. "I just want my team to win a game that I pitch
in," said a visibly frustrated Buchanan. "I'm not looking at my
record. I just want my team to win when I pitch in a ballgame. I don't care how
it happens. 0-for-5 right now. But -- I want my team to be confident when I
take that mound. I want to make sure that I start pitching that way."
Buchanan is the first Phillies pitcher in at least 100 years to finish April at
0-5. Seven Phillies pitchers had finished the month at 0-4, including Jon
Lieber (2006), Curt Schilling (1994) and Shane Rawley (1988). "He's trying
to make some adjustments," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said about Buchanan.
"I thought his last two [starts] showed some signs of improvement. Maybe
this was just catching a hot group of hitters at the wrong time, possibly.
We'll see. He has to make adjustments and go out there with some adjustments
and do better next time." The Cardinals started the bottom of the first
inning with four consecutive hits to take a 3-0 lead. The Phillies tied the
game in the top of the third, but Matt Adams hit a two-run home run to right field in
the bottom of the third to give the Cardinals a 5-3 lead. Buchanan allowed two
more runs to score in the fifth. Buchanan has allowed 32 hits and 15 walks in
just 24 2/3 innings. It has left him with the highest ERA and WHIP (1.91) in
the Majors. "It's frustrating," Buchanan said. "I don't like
walking guys. It's not what I was known for. I didn't do it in Spring Training
and all of a sudden it's happening now. It's got to stop."
Turning The Page On A Historic Month – Chase Utley has tried to remain upbeat in what has
been the worst month of his Phillies career. He has tried to set a good
example, which sometimes means exercising restraint. "Try to conserve my
helmets," Utley said after Thursday's 9-3 loss to the
Cardinals at Busch Stadium, which dropped the Phillies to 8-15. "Helmets
are still alive." What about his bats? "Bats?" Utley said.
"The helmets are still alive." Utley finished April hitting .114
(8-for-70) with two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .398 OPS. His batting average ties
Roy Sievers for the lowest in April in franchise history (minimum 40 plate
appearances). Sievers hit .114 in April 1962. Utley's poor month coincided with
the organization's worst April finish since 2002, when the Phillies opened at
9-18 (.333). The eight wins this season were the fewest at the end of April
since the team went 7-17 in 2000. Utley said he is hopeful he and his team can
turn things around. "As we all know, you need some breaks here and there
to get that momentum going as an individual and as a team," he said.
"So we haven't really caught those breaks yet, but sometimes it's up to us
to make those breaks happen. So we'll kind of see how it goes. The guys are
playing hard and we're battling. So that's a good sign." Utley is hitting
more ground balls than at any point in his career, which could be a factor in
his struggles. His 1.42 ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio is 0.45 higher than his
career average (0.97). But Utley also has run into some bad luck, especially
lately. He has a .102 batting average on balls in play, which is the lowest
mark of qualified hitters in the Majors. The average big leaguer has a .293
batting average when putting a ball in play. Utley's career average on balls in
play is .302. Utley crushed three balls to the warning track in right-center
field this week in St. Louis. He has hit other balls hard over the past couple
weeks. It just seems those balls are hit at somebody. "It all evens out.
That's what they say," Utley said. "So far they haven't. Whoever they
are, they say that. You just kind of stick with it. I don't think I've swung
the bat as poorly as my numbers show. But by no means have I swung the bat to
the best of my capabilities." So Utley is happy to turn the page on April.
Bring on May, right? "I'll be honest with you, I didn't know it was the
last day of April," he said. "Every day is kind of the same."
But maybe he will find the May days and beyond feel a little better.
Just Around The Corner – Phillies
right-hander Chad Billingsley made his fourth rehab start Thursday with
Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed five hits, two unearned runs, one walk and
struck out six in 5 2/3 innings. Billingsley threw 99 pitches (66 strikes).
"I thought everything was sharp, located really well with the fastball
today, which I didn't have last time out," Billingsley said in a
transcript provided by the team. "I was moving my fastball in and out, up
and down, which makes it a little easier to pitch. "My arm feels normal,
I'm really happy with it. It's been a journey." Billingsley, 30, is
recovering from a pair of right elbow surgeries. He has a 4.74 ERA in four
rehab starts. It could be his final rehab start, although that remains to be
seen. Phillies right-hander Severino Gonzalez will make his second start Sunday
against the Marlins in Miami. Billingsley cannot pitch Sunday, but he could
rejoin the rotation after that. "It'd be awesome," Billingsley said,
when asked what it would mean to make his next start in the big leagues.
"It's been a long road with a lot of hard work and a lot of grinding. Just
to be pitching at a big league field again and being back out there would be
awesome."
Filling In With Power – The
Phillies are desperate for power, so they appreciated Darin Ruf's at-bat in the third inning Thursday at
Busch Stadium. He crushed a solo home run to left-center field in a 9-3 loss to the
Cardinals. Ruf's five extra-base hits are tied with Jeff Francoeur and Ben Revere for third on the team, despite finishing a
distant ninth in plate appearances. Ruf has 44 plate appearances. That is 20
fewer than Carlos Ruiz, who is
eighth on the list, and eight more than Grady Sizemore, who is 10th on the list. "Trying
to keep the routine the same, whether I'm playing or not playing," Ruf
said about staying sharp at the plate. "When I'm not I obviously sneak
down there [to the batting cage] to get ready in case I have to have an
at-bat." Ruf started four consecutive games April 15-18, but he went
2-for-14 with one double, one RBI, one walk and six strikeouts. He has started
just twice since, including just once since April 23. He started in left field
Thursday and hit third. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said earlier in April
that he thinks Ruf could play in right field, although general manager Ruben
Amaro Jr. disagreed. Phillies right fielders entered the afternoon with a .473
OPS, which ranked 29th in the Majors. Despite hitting .179 (7-for-39), Ruf has
a .660 OPS this season and a .792 OPS in his career. "I'll continue to try
to see some guys in different spots and see who's getting hot and also mix and
match a little bit," Sandberg said.
Multi-Talented Former Ace – Roy
Halladay has been a busy man since he retired from professional baseball. He's been spotted at the zoo
and sneaking up on fans at amusement parks, and it looks like his
next stop is the circus. The former ace took to Twitter on Thursday to show off
a very particular set of skills that don't involve baseball. There's no amount
of money we wouldn't pay to see Halladay on a unicycle juggling and racing a
clown. In fact, we might even move to nominate that contest as America's new
pastime. Any objections? We didn't think so.
THE BEGINNING
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the
NL east at 8-15. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance
this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All
time, the Phillies are 45-43-0 on this day.
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