So I have a question for you all. Do you prefer Rivera in left field and Bautista at 3rd or Edwin at 3rd, Bautista in the OF and Rivera on the bench or DH? Unfair question after what we just saw. Hurry up and get Snider up here.
Anyway a sad 9th inning. Frank Francisco, who has looked good lately, comes in with a 1 run lead and walks Placido Polanco. Bad move. Next batter, Chase Utley hits a fly to deep left and Rivera misses it. Runners on second and third, no outs. Frank gets 2 strikes on Ryan Howard, then gives up a single to give the Phillies the lead. A fly out and a double later and he is out of the game. Marc Rzepczynski comes in and gets the last outs quick.
The defense, this afternoon was terrible. An error from Aaron Hill. The miss by Rivera and a poor throw on a sac fly, though I didn't really think he had a shot at getting Victorino at the plate. A ball went right under John McDonalds glove for a hit. Just a bunch of bad defense. McDonald did start one amazing double play though.
Ricky Romero had a tough day, really had to fight through it. But then when a tough day means 6.1 innings, you aren't doing too bad. He gave up 7 hits, and 4 walks, with 3 strikeouts. 4 runs, 3 of them earned. One of the 3 earned runs scored after Jason Frasor took over for him in the 7th. With a 1 run lead and a runner on first, in the 7th Frasor, gave up a triple and a sac fly, to get a blown save. Jose Bautista's 2 run home in the bottom of the inning got him off the hook for the loss. Jon Rauch pitched a perfect 8th.
We did get some offense. Edwin Encarnacion had a 2 run double in the first. Eric Thames hit a 2 run homer in the 5th and Jose had his in the 7th.
Jays of the Day are Jose (.452 WPA), Thames (.168), Rauch (.124), Scrabble (.106) and EE (.102). Suckage numbers go to Francisco (-.726, hurt by Rivera's misadventure in left), Frasor (-.313), Davis (-.211), McDonald (-.138) and Lind (-.116). I'd give Rivera one too.
The real bad part of today's gave was that Yunel Escobar was hit in the hand by a pitch in the first inning. Apparently x-rays are negative, (but then we have heard that before) and he is day-to-day. Jose Bautista was knocked down by a pitch, but it just got him angry and he crushed that homer later in the game. Juan Rivera was also hit in the elbow by a pitch.
Tomorrow, at 1:00 Eastern, Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.40) makes his first start in Toronto as a Phil. Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 3.15) starts for the Jays.