The Philadelphia Phillies lost their eighth straight game on Sunday, falling to the Detroit Tigers 12-4. Their record drops to 49-56.
- Jonathan Pettibone turned in his typical outing, lasting five innings and allowing three runs. The rookie has pitched less than six innings in seven of his last 10 starts.
- Carlos Ruiz gave the team an early lead with an RBI single in the second inning. It’s just the ninth RBI for Ruiz this year.
- Laynce Nix went 1-4 with an RBI single. Its the first RBI that Nix has produced since April 27th.
- Darin Ruf hit out of the cleanup spot, and went 2-4 with an RBI.
- Kevin Frandsen got the start at second and went 2-4 with an RBI.
- Steve Susdorf started in left and went 1-4 with a double. However, the rookie’s day was soured by dropped fly ball that cost the team several runs.
- Jake Diekman took over for Pettibone in the sixth and had a rough time. The lefty allowed four runs (all unearned) and just couldn’t make plays. Diekman made two poor throws that helped keep an inning that the Tigers would score eight runs in alive.
- Luis Garcia took over for Diekman, but couldn’t record an out. Instead the righty gave up two walks and then a grand slam.
- Antonio Bastardo got the final two outs in the sixth, and came back to handle the seventh inning, allowing one run of his own.
- Jonathan Papelbon pitched for the just the second time since the All-Star break to get some work in during the eighth inning.
Final Thoughts
Sell, sell, sell.
The Phillies have proven that they’ve got no business being in the playoff picture this season. They offered a couple of nice teases here and there over the past three months, but ultimately this is a team that just has too many flaws and not enough bright spots to overcome them.
The core of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard have seen their best days come and go. These three are now just shells of their former selves, and its time to pull the plug and move on.
Ruben Amaro’s job before Wednesday’s trade deadline is to sell off as many of the aging veterans on this roster as he can to help this team build for a better tomorrow.
