So much for the perfect season
Submitted by Jeff on Fri, 04/04/2008 - 5:54am.
- Little, if anything, about yesterday's game could be described as "perfect". There were the five runs the Phillies gave up in the top of the first, as well as the four errors they committed during the course of the game. But there was also the Nats pitching breakdown in the sixth, allowing six runs, and then the tenth, when Jimmy Rollins, who reached third (!) on a sac bunt after hitting a leadoff single, followed by two intentional walks and then one unintentional walk. Phillies beat the Nats, 8-7 in 10, handing the Nats their first loss of the 2008 season. (Box score)
- Felipe Lopez made his debut in left on Thursday and did reasonably well, playing all 10 innings there. "It was better than I expected. I thought it would be a lot [of adjustments]," Lopez said.
- Chad Cordero could pitch by Sunday after experiencing no discomfort playing catch on Thursday. Also: Shawn Hill pitched four innings in an extended spring training game in Florida on Thursday, and his fastball was clocked at 86-89 mph.
- A tight back kept Dmitri Young on the bench Thursday, keeping him from pinch-hitting. Young had an MRI on his back, the results of which will be studied in St. Louis, the team's next stop. Also: Jason Bergmann found that his changeup was particularly effective against the Phillies lineup through five innings, before he (and the bullpen) faltered in the sixth.
- "Interesting? I would say so," Thom Loverro writes in regards to Thursday's game. Dmitri Young's tight back and his unwillingness to talk to the media after the game? "That was interesting." A 4-0 start to the season "would have been very interesting."
- Good news: according to folks at Mens Fitness.com (?!), Nationals Park is one of 10 major league ballparks worth visiting this season. "[T]he Nationals left no stone unturned when it came to building their new home," the brief assessment of the park notes.