GAME RECAP: Cards Crush Phils 12-4
The best team in baseball played the worst team in baseball Friday
night at Citizens Bank Park, and the final score reflected as much. The
Cardinals (44-23) hit three home runs on their way to a 12-4 victory over the
Phillies (23-46). Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong each hit two-run home runs in the second
inning against Phillies right-hander Phillippe Aumont, who walked seven and
lasted just four innings in his season debut and first Major League start. The
scoring continued from there for St. Louis. "We catch some heat sometimes
when we can't put up the big offensive numbers," Cardinals manager Mike
Matheny said. "But you know with a lineup like this it's going to happen.
Are you going to be able to throw up 12 every night? No. But it's in
there." The Phillies have lost 10 of their last 11 games and 22 of their
last 27. "Tough," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Tough
game. You know, not much going right out there tonight. Fell behind early, and
with not swinging the bats, it's a tough combination. Yeah, right from the
get-go it was a tough game."
OTHER NOTES
FROM THE DAY:
- Aumont simply could not find the
strike zone, which has been an issue most of his career. He threw 104
pitches, and only 56 were strikes. He not only walked seven, but he also
threw a wild pitch and threw behind Jon Jay in the
second inning. "It was just a constant battle a little bit with
myself," Aumont said. "That's what it's been my whole career.
Just me, myself and I out there battling. Nobody else. Because when I
execute my pitches, I get these guys out down there and up here. Just keep
your chest high and keep working at it. The mental part is a big part of
the game, and you've got to be strong at it."
- Howard always hits Cardinals pitching
well, and his good fortune continued in the fifth inning with his three-run
home run to right field. Howard has more home runs (21) and RBIs (64)
against the Cardinals than against any other non-NL East team.
- Remember the squirrel that appeared
at home plate in Game 4 of the 2011 National League Division Series
between the Cardinals and Phillies at Busch Stadium? Cards fans turned it
into their good-luck charm in their team's run to the World Series title.
Another squirrel appeared in the top of the second inning Friday, crawling
up the backstop behind home plate before trying to run across the wire
down the right-field line. Except the squirrel slipped and fell a long way
onto the Phillies' dugout and then jumped into the dugout, prompting
players to scatter.
- Phillies starting pitchers have not
earned a win in 24 consecutive games, which is a new franchise record.
They set the previous record at 23 games from July 29-Aug. 20, 1961. The
Phillies are 4-20 in their current stretch. The '61 Phillies went 0-23 in theirs.
- "Going forward, we're going to
need some starting pitching to help us out so our bullpen guys who are
quality bullpen pieces don't get abused out there." -- Sandberg,
when asked about the organization's plan to bring No.2
prospect Aaron Nola along slowly. Sandberg
then said he understood the strategy about being careful with young
pitchers.
NEXT
GAME:
Right-hander Aaron Harang starts
Saturday night's 7:05 ET game. Harang has pitched much better than his 4-8
record indicates, but he has struggled recently with a pair of losses to
Cincinnati and a loss earlier this week to Baltimore. John Lackey makes his 14th start of the season
Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT vs. the Phillies, trying to improve upon his 0-3
record with a 6.27 ERA as the visiting pitcher in 2015. He has been one of the
most efficient pitchers in the NL this year, averaging 14.3 pitches per inning,
the second fewest in the league.
PHILS PHACTS:
Battle On The Mound – It
would have been a heck of a story if Phillippe Aumont had dominated the
Cardinals in his 2015 debut. But this season has been anything but storybook
for the Phillies. Making his first Major League start, Aumont buried the
Phillies quickly in Friday's 12-4
loss at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed five
hits, six runs, two home runs, walked seven, threw one wild pitch and threw
behind one batter in four innings. He struck out three. He threw 104 pitches,
just 56 for strikes. "I don't give up," Aumont said. "I'll keep
working. I know I can do it. I've done it plenty of times." Aumont joined
the Phillies in December 2009 as part of the Cliff Lee trade with Seattle. The Phillies moved him
from the bullpen to the rotation the following spring, but after struggling as
a starter in the Minors, he returned to the bullpen. He remained there,
pitching sparingly in relief for the Phillies from 2012-14, but constant
struggles with his command put him on thin ice entering Spring Training this
year. He cleared waivers in March, and the Phillies outrighted him to Triple-A
Lehigh Valley. A short time later, Aumont returned to the rotation. He enjoyed
some success early, but his struggles throwing strikes returned. He walked 25
batters in 26 innings in his last five starts before the Phillies called him up
to replace Cole Hamels, who missed
Friday's start because of tightness in his right hamstring. Hamels said Friday
he will make
his next scheduled start Wednesday against the
Yankees in New York. Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong each hit two-run home runs against Aumont
in the second, when he walked two batters. He walked two more in a scoreless
third and two more in the fourth, when he allowed two more runs. "It's
more so mentally," Aumont said about his struggles. "It's just
mentally, blockage. You start getting in those situations, and you start
nitpicking a little bit. Not doubting, but ... it has to be between the ears.
I've done it plenty of times physically. It's frustrating to just be in that
position, fighting it. "It was just a constant battle a little bit with
myself. That's what it's been my whole career. Just me, myself and I out there
battling. Nobody else. Because when I execute my pitches I get these guys out
down there and up here. Just keep your chest high and keep working at it. The
mental part is a big part of the game, and you've got to be strong at it."
Right-hander Justin De Fratus
replaced Aumont in the fifth. He allowed eight hits and six runs in two
innings. He threw 58 pitches. The Phillies' bullpen has pitched 20 1/3 innings
in the last four games. "That's a challenge, keeping the bullpen
intact," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said.
Balance In The Middle Infield – Over the past 14
games, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has started catchers Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp evenly. It makes sense. Ruiz's .573 OPS
is 21st among 23 qualified catchers in baseball. Rupp's is .636. Could the same
thing finally happen at second base with Chase Utley and Cesar Hernandez? Hernandez started at second base in
Friday night's series opener against the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. He
has started four of the last 13 games at second base, leading the team with a
.328 on-base percentage over that span, and has a .631 OPS overall. Utley's
.539 OPS is the lowest of 166 qualified hitters in baseball. The Phillies would
like to see Hernandez play more, so they can determine if he is an option at
second base going forward. Utley, meanwhile, has a $15 million option for 2016
that automatically vests if he reaches 500 plate appearances. He has 240. There
is no question the Phillies prefer not to pay it, if Utley continues at his
current pace. "I'm just taking that day to day," Sandberg said about
second base. "I keep kind of waiting for Chase to hit a streak and really
get it going in the other direction. To do that, you need a good series, a good
week of at-bats. I'm kind of caught in between there. Cesar can also get in
some games, possibly at shortstop, but I'm trying to do my best to get him in
there. "I know Chase is working on some things. To give him the
opportunity to get hot would be a plus for him, and to get playing time for
Cesar would be a plus for Cesar."
Not Again – On a
chilly night in October 2011, the Phillies and Cardinals squared off in a
classic NLDS game. Roy Oswalt was on the hill for the visiting Phils and was
handed a two-run lead before he ever had to take the mound. But in the later
innings ... things took a turn. A squirrel ran across home plate as Oswalt was
set to deliver a pitch to Skip Schumaker. The umpire called it a ball, despite
pleas from Oswalt and then-manager Charlie Manuel for a "no-pitch." The
Cardinals went on to win Game 4 ... and Game 5 ... and then the NLCS ... and
eventually the World Series. This Rally Squirrel thing had legs. Fast forward
to Friday night. Yadier Molina and the Cardinals have the best record and
baseball and are visiting the Phillies (who don't). But, it would seem that the
Cards didn't want to take any chances because they brought the Rally Squirrel
with them. The Cards were already up 4-0 in the top of the second inning when
the squirrel began to scale the net behind home plate. Eventually, it fell onto
the top of the home dugout before throwing itself into a host of players. "When
I saw it in my face I just brushed it away," said Phillies outfielder
Odubel Herrera, who was near where the squirrel jumped into the dugout. Suddenly it was 11-0.
Just like that. Things eventually calmed down and the Cardinals never looked
back, but Phillies fans will probably be seeing that squirrel in their
nightmares for the next few days.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 23-46. 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 61-51-0 on this day.
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