Second baseman Chase Utely was 3-3 with 2 homers in game two of the series.
Howard’s Point of View
The Philadelphia Phillies continued their season woes after a 2-0 loss in their first series game against the rival New York Mets. Once again the Phillies struggled to put up runs after being shutout for the second time in only seven games.
The Phils were able to muster up seven hits on the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, Jacob deGrom, but could not score a single run. DeGrom did not have his greatest day on the mound however he still managed to retire his first seven batters. After giving up seven hits in seven innings he still managed to pull his team to victory earning his first win of the season.
The Phillies are struggling at the plate. Leaving players on base in scoring position seems to be the theme for them. After the game the Phils were tied for last in the MLB with a mere 16 runs and ranked 21st out of 30 teams with a .216 team batting average.
They must get production from their bats if they want to improve. A two-run margin is not difficult for a good offensive team to over come. To this point the Phillies pitching is what keeps them in games. Pitcher Aaron Harang only allowed one run, four hits and two walks. He has been playing well with a 0.73 ERA in two starts.
But for the second game of an eventual three game series with the Mets, the Phillies did not play to their norm. The Phils were able to put up five runs, their highest total of the season, despite losing 5-6. The Phils swung the bats better, especially Chase Utley who before this game was 2-22 at the plate. He started the first seven games with a 0.091 batting average. However, Utley went 3-3 and cracked two homers on the night. It was a good sight for the Phillies because prior to this game Utley was off to the worst start of his career.
David Buchanan got the start but did not have a spectacular outing. He played five innings and gave up nine hits that eventually led to five runs. He now has a season ERA of 11.42. The struggles will most likely continue for the Phils.
With good pitching they will stay in games but with poor hitting they’ll continue to lose those battles. It is the same old things that continue to plague the Phillies.
With two consecutive losses to the rival Mets, the Phillies still have the all-time series record lead with 479 wins to the Mets’ 409. However the Mets are the better team this season. The Mets sit at 5-3 on the year while the Phillies sit at 3-5.
