Today, the Phillies (73-89) faced the Braves (79-83) in the season finale. The Phillies sent Cole Hamels (9-9 2.46 ERA) to the hill. Hamels took the loss in his last start versus the Marlins going seven innings giving up two runs, while striking out four. Hamels was opposed by Braves’ left-hander James Russell (0-2 2.97 ERA), who was making his first start since 2011. Russell has been very successful since coming over from the Cubs. With the Cubs, Russell was 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA; with the Braves he had a 2.22 ERA.
The Game:
The Braves started the game with a bang. Emilio Bonifacio led off the game with a blast to left center to give the Braves a lead. Phil Gosselin followed with a walk and stole second. Freddie Freeman then singled to center to score Gosselin. 2-0 Braves
The Phillies would wait until the eighth to finally score their first run of the game. Freddy Galvis led off the inning with a single to center. Grady Sizemore followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Ben Revere grounded into a double play, but plated Freddy Galvis. 2-1 Braves That would be the final run the Phillies would score this season.
Significant Offensive Stats:
Ben Revere: 1-4
Ryan Howard: 1-3 BB
Freddy Galvis: 1-3 R
Cole Hamels: 2-2
Impact: The Phillies finished their season with a loss. With the loss, the Phillies ended a season to forget. If a record of 73-89, the Phillies’ dreadful season finally has come to an end. Through a season to forget, there were a few highs including a combined No-Hitter by Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, and Papelbon. Also, the emergence of a dominant bullpen with young guns, Justin De Fratus, Ken Giles, and Jake Diekman, the Phillies have bright future. With the rise of Cody Asche and Maikel Franco, the Phillies have started their slow transition to the next era of Phillies baseball.
Up Next: With the close of their season, the Phillies enter the offseason with the seventh worst record in Major League Baseball. With many places for improvement around the diamond, the 2015 Phillies could look like a different team. The Phillies begin their six-month journey to rebuild the team and look toward the next season. The Phillies will open their 2015 season against the Boston Red Sox at Citizen’s Bank Park.
Andrew Shipotofsky is a writer for Philliedelphia
