Phillies take on familiar face in Padilla
He left the Phillies in December 2005 as Vicente Padilla. He faces them Saturday as Guillermo DeLaCruz, at least according to the nameplate above his locker at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Phils top Mets on Victorino’s walk-off hit
Phils top Mets on Victorino’s walk-off hit The Mets and reliever Duaner Sanchez chose to pitch to Shane Victorino, and it didn’t work out for the visitors on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. The switch-hitting center fielder sliced a single to right field, scoring Pedro Feliz with the winning run in the Phillies‘ 3-2 victory.
Phils’ Durbin go-to guy in clutch spots
Phils’ Durbin go-to guy in clutch spots On Friday, for the second time in three nights, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel needed to bring in a reliever with the bases loaded. Both times, Manuel turned to Chad Durbin. The right-hander did not disappoint either time.
Ruiz sits against Santana on Friday
Ruiz sits against Santana on Friday Carlos Ruiz sat out Friday’s game against left-hander Johan Santana, since he fares worse against lefties, even though right-handed hitters usually do well in those scenarios. It’s a situation that has both he and manager Charlie Manuel scratching their heads.
Upcoming Series: Philadelphia Phillies Pitchers
The Mets salvaged a split against the Cardinals on Thursday, winning in dominant fashion.
Phillies Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)
J.A. Happ’s first major league start since June 30 of last season started inauspiciously.
He walked dangerous Mets leadoff hitter Jose Reyes on five pitches.
But the Phillies have insisted that Happ has improved since his major league debut, and he proved it by retiring 12 of the next 13 batters, showing flashes of promise in his first start as the temporary fill-in for demoted Brett Myers.
And although he permitted two runs and didn’t survive the fifth inning after loading the bases, Happ still got good reviews from manager Charlie Manuel.
“He has improved a lot since last year,” Manuel said after Happ allowed three hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. “He had a better fastball.
Baseball Today (AP)
Happ fills in admirably in second start
Happ fills in admirably in second start When Brett Myers was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, two names surfaced as possible candidates to fill in for him in the rotation. J.A. Happ got the nod over Chad Durbin, though both pitchers played a vital role in the Phillies‘ 3-2 over the Mets on Friday night.
Phillies rally to beat Mets behind Victorino’s hit
Shane Victorino’s two-out RBI single in the ninth inning lifted the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets 3-2 on Friday night.
Duaner Sanchez (3-1) retired the first two batters before Pedro Feliz doubled to left field. Victorino followed with a liner to right on a 1-2 pitch to score Feliz and send a sellout crowd into a frenzy.
The NL East-leading Phillies have won four straight after losing 13 of 18.
Brad Lidge (2-0) pitched a perfect ninth and Philadelphia’s stellar bullpen tossed 4 1-3 scoreless innings. Chad Durbin retired the seven batters he faced, striking out six, after replacing starter J.A. Happ in the fifth. Ryan Madson threw a scoreless eighth.
Army vet honored to throw out first pitch
Army vet honored to throw out first pitch Marc Ferraro, a 24-year Army veteran and resident of Cherry Hill, N.J., called it “an hour” to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s game between the Phillies and Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
