Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.65) opposes Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (0-0, 4.50) in the second of the three-game series on Saturday night.
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Luke Weaver is learning that he doesn’t need to be so ideal.
Moss’ 23rd home run of the season helped open up the St. Louis offense, and seven strong innings from Mike Leake paved the way to a 9-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
On the first pitch to Herrera, Wainwright slipped with his plant foot on the mound made wet by a persistent rain that fell for much of the middle innings. “They have success in the minor leagues, they come up here and think they have to make flawless pitches”. “It looks like he’s trying to be ideal here”.
Jedd Gyorko, Stephen Piscotty, Brandon Moss and Jeremy Hazelbaker went deep. While the Phillies have won six of their last nine, the Cardinals had their five-game winning streak come to a halt and saw their lead for the National League’s second wild card dip to 1 1/2 games over Miami.
“When you hit a ball like that in your first at-bat, you feel pretty good about the day because you know you’re on that pitch and you’re going to be able to adjust on other pitches”, Moss said. “We couldn’t get a lot of those late hits we’ve been accustomed to getting”.
The Cardinals had hit multiple home runs in nine straight games, tying a major league record, before failing to connect twice Saturday night in a 4-2 loss. Beltre’s 20th and 21st home runs of the season gave him 434 for his career, moving him into a tie with Juan Gonzalez and Andruw Jones for 45th place all-time.
“It didn’t really affect our thinking”, Klentak said. “I thought today might be a day, especially when Hazelbaker hit one early. You could it the way guys were taking their at-bats there was an opportunity to maybe do it again”.
Velasquez, 24, has given up three home runs in each of his last two starts.
“He wasn’t locating his secondary pitches”, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Hellickson, making his first start since leaving his August 10 start with a lower-oblique injury, allowed two runs on seven hits.
“Without question”, Mackanin said. Mackanin said he expects Hernandez to be back in the starting lineup on Saturday.
• Hector Neris has a 0.80 WHIP to go along with 40 strikeouts and just three walks in his last 29 games (30 innings).
“I’m trying to figure it out”, Velasquez said. “But it was good to save the bullpen a little tonight”. I can’t just throw fastballs all the time.
Franco put the Phillies ahead for good with a two-out single to left in the fifth that scored Hernandez from third.
Jeanmar Gomez pitched a scoreless ninth for his 33rd save in 37 opportunities. Among the Phillies’ hitters, Ryan Howard has three of their four home runs against Leake. The Phillies have gotten Hernandez to level his swing midseason, and he is batting.350 since June 27. It would have snapped a seven-game losing streak. Leake’s ERA hasn’t been below 4.00 since May 31.
The Cardinals tied it in the third.
Jhonny Peralta led off the 11th with a double and, two batters later, Grichuk doubled to the wall in left-center off Frank Herrmann (0-1).
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The Phillies have homered in 13 straight games. The Phillies failed to hit an extra base hit for the sixth time in 2016 and were shut out for the sixth time. After being treated at the seat for several minutes, the fan was carried out to the concourse by an adult into the waiting arms of medical personnel. He did pinch-hit in Friday night’s game.
