The Phillies bats came to life in last night's 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Jeff Francoeur had four hits, Darin Ruf had three, and Cesar Hernandez reached base four times to help Aaron Harang earn his third win as a Phillie. Harang went six innings, allowing just one earned run. Jonathan Papelbon finished his second consecutive game, but did not earn a save in either since the leads were bigger than three runs.
Prior to the game the Phillies made a minor deal, sending outfielder Darin Mastroianni to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named or cash considerations. Mastroianni was a minor league free agent who was currently assigned to AAA Lehigh Valley. Mastroianni has Major League experience with the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, but was not a fit for the Phillies.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies | Atlanta Braves | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Chad Billingsley | RHP | Shelby Miller | ||
| (0-0, 0.00 ERA) | (3-1, 2.17 ERA) | ||||
The Phillies have a long history with starter Chad Billingsley. In both 2008 and 2009 in the National League Championship Series the Phillies really got to Billingsley. In 2008 Billingsley made two starts against the Phillies. He lost them both, allowing a total of 10 earned runs in a combined five innings' work. In 2009, Billingsley saw action out of the bullpen. In a three and two-thirds inning relief appearance, Billingsley allowed two runs to the Phillies.
Billingsley is making his first start since April 15, 2013. Over eight seasons Billingsley is 81-61 with a 3.65 ERA. But, Billingsley had "Tommy John" surgery in 2013 and then surgery in 2014 after tearing his flexor tendon while rehabbing. What Billingsley will be able to give the Phillies is largely unknown. In four rehab starts at AAA Lehigh Valley, Billingsley was 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA. In his final start before being recalled, Billingsley went five and two-thirds innings and allowed no runs.
The Braves made a surprising offseason move in 2014: they traded hometown hero Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals for starter Shelby Miller. The Cardinals would not have made the move, except that their young, promising right fielder Oscar Tavares died in a car accident early in the offseason. Miller will be an integral part of the Braves' rebuild and long-term plan.
However, Miller is already paying dividends for the Braves. In five starts in the early going, Miller is 3-1 with a 2.17 earned run average. Do not let the loss deceive you. The lost came on April 30 against the Cincinnati Reds in what was Miller's best start of the season. Despite going seven innings and allowing just two earned runs, Miller took the loss as poor defense and the bullpen led to five runs for the Reds.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (10-17) | Atlanta Braves (12-14) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | RF | Ben Revere | L | 1 | RF | Nick Markakis | L |
| 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 2 | SS | Andrelton Simmons | R |
| 3 | 3B | Cody Asche | L | 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L |
| 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L | 4 | C | A.J. Pierzynski | L |
| 5 | LF | Darin Ruf | R | 5 | LF | Johnny Gomes | R |
| 6 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 6 | 3B | Kelly Johnson | L |
| 7 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 7 | 2B | Jace Peterson | L |
| 8 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R | 8 | CF | Cameron Maybin | R |
| 9 | P | Chad Billingsley | R | 9 | P | Shelby Miller | R |
The Phillies lineup will be without second baseman Chase Utley. Utley has dropped to a batting average of .103 and was hitless the last two nights. Cesar Hernandez will make his third start in a row at his third different position. Hernandez reached base four times last night. Darin Ruf, who got three hits last night, will play left field, while Ben Revere makes his first appearance of the year in right field to make room for Ruf.
The Braves lineup is mostly the same as yesterday, with the exception of utility player Kelly Johnson getting a look at third base. Chris Johnson, the club's usual starting third baseman, is currently on the disabled list with a fractured hand. Kelly Johnson and Alberto Callaspo have been splitting time in his absence.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:10 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
What's Next:
The Phillies and Braves will play one more in Atlanta, another 7:10 starts. On Wednesday, Jerome Williams will face Mike Foltynewich.
Frank Klose is founder of Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Philliedelphia
