The left-hander gave up one run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks in six-plus innings.
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The trade looked like a steal when Velasquez struck out 16 San Diego Padres in an April game.
“I am glad that this part of the process has concluded, and I look forward to holding the responsible people accountable for these false and defamatory claims in my ongoing litigation against Al Jazeera and its reporters”, the statement read. They know what I throw and I know what I have to do and what I like to use. I’ve got to catch them off guard. I want to have a few more starts.
Philadelphia (58-67) has 37 games left, and Sunday’s was one in which the long grind of the season appeared to be taking its toll, not only on Velasquez but the entire team. “If he can command his fastball and secondary pitches, he’s going to be good”. He’s got to keep battling and working at it. Moss almost blew the game open before the bulk of the crowd settled into the seats, driving an 0-1 fastball to the wall in center, but Odubel Herrera’s leaping catch resulted in just one run scoring.
Velasquez managed to throw six innings, but once again he wasn’t economical with his pitch count needing 106 pitches to do so. They left two runners on base in the first and second inning before the offense fell silent.
NOTES: The teams split the first two games of the series, with St. Louis winning 4-3 in 11 innings on Friday night before Philadelphia bounced back for a 4-2 win on Saturday.
Velasquez, who gave up three homers in each of his last two starts, was hurt again by the long ball in the fifth.
Had Hellickson flopped against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies nearly certainly would have reset their roster, adding bullpen arms, convinced their regular starters needed the added support.
“Just what the doctor ordered”, Pete Mackanin said. “He had trouble doing that”.
A Peralta single and a Jedd Gyorko double had runners on second and third with one out in the inning. The Phillies failed to hit an extra base hit for the sixth time in 2016 and were shut out for the sixth time.
Hamels had retired 14 straight, striking out seven, when Corey Dickerson singled with two outs in the sixth for Tampa Bay’s first hit. By the time he’d called it a night, there was, at least, some calm in Citizens Bank Park. No other Phillies pitcher has finished with a higher average. In those seven starts, Velasquez’s ERA is 5.83 and his WHIP is 1.81. Cleanup hitter Brandon Moss, who hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, then just missed a grand slam. He struck out 10 that night.
Phillies: Hernandez was back in the starting lineup after a two-game absence due to a sore right foot. Maikel Franco (.251, 53 Rs, 22 HRs, 72 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. “(Velocity) might go down, but that’s where you have to utilize your secondary pitches, and that’s one of the things I couldn’t do (Sunday)”. “They have success in the minor leagues, they come up here and think they have to make flawless pitches”.
But when the subject of fatigue came up, Velasquez and Mackanin seemed to go out of their way to squash it. But the end is near for his season.
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“I have to enjoy this adversity”, Velasquez said. “Maybe I have to learn how to pace it, work with it and extend through the season instead of just going all out in the first half”. You just have to put the pieces together and you have to figure it out. “I’m not figuring it out and haven’t found that turning point yet”.
