Yesterday was a tough loss. I should know – I was at the game. The Phillies were down 9-4 in the 9th inning and were able to begin a comeback, scoring four runs. It was exciting, but it wasn't enough as they were cut short, 9-8. The Phillies ended their first home series of the year on a bad note. With two series losses in a row, is it time to panic? Personally, I think not. There's still a whole season to be played, so let's get back on the winning track. What better way to do so than against the New York Mets? Roy Halladay (0-1, 13.50 ERA) and Matt Harvey (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will open up this three-game series tonight at 7:05 PM.
Roy Halladay made his much anticipated season debut on Wednesday against Atlanta. It was not a great start, nor was it terrible. The 35-year-old right-hander did struggle with his command, but did show spark in his velocity. Ranging between 87-92 MPH, Halladay allowed five earned runs on six hits through 3 1/3 innings of work. Halladay walked three, but managed to strike out nine batters. Was Halladay's start a promising sign? No, but it's his first start so let him try to rebound before you give up on him. Halladay made one start against the Mets last season – he allowed two earned over seven innings. In his career against New York, Halladay owns a 9-2 record with a 2.86 ERA (27 ER in 85 IP).
Matt Harvey was certainly more than spectacular in his season debut. The 24-year-old right-hander dominated the Padres last Wednesday, allowing just one hit through seven innings. Harvey walked two and struck out ten batters to seal his first win of the season. One cool fact about Harvey's last start is that he became the fourth Met to tally double-digit strikeouts in at least three of his first 11 career starts; joining Dwight Gooden, Nolan Ryan and Jerry Koosman. Harvey made his only two starts against Philly last season, where he won one and held the Phils to one run the other. In his career, Harvey is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA (3 ER in 13 1/3 IP).
Game Notes:
- Humberto Quintero is catching Roy Halladay tonight instead of Erik Kratz
- Roy Halladay is still sitting on 199 career wins.
- David Wright has the most home runs (16) by a visiting player at Citizens Bank Park history.
Phillies lineup:
- Ben Revere CF
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Michael Young 3B
- Domonic Brown RF
- Laynce Nix LF
- Humberto Quintero C
- Roy Halladay P.
Mets lineup:
- Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF
- Daniel Murphy 2B
- David Wright 3B
- Ike Davis 1B
- Marlon Byrd RF
- Lucas Duda LF
- John Buck C
- Ruben Tejada SS
- Matt Harvey P.
Weather forecast: Partly Cloudy – 70° – 0% PoP.
TV: Comcast Sports Network, ESPN
Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT
Let's Go Phillies!
Erik Seybold is The Senior Blog King of Journalistic Activities at Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.
