The Cardinals look to keep slugging the ball in Sunday’s rubber match at Citizens Bank Park against young righty Vince Velasquez (8-5, 4.14 ERA). It has had him pitching in the mindset of someone who wants to strike every batter out.
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“I felt good”, Hellickson said. People watch film. I watch film. “I’ve got to figure them out”. I can’t just throw fastballs all the time. “That was early in the season and that was great; that was a heck of an experience”. Eflin underwent surgery to fix the patellar tendon in his right knee Friday and will not pitch again in 2016. Garcia’s insertion means that Jedd Gyorko moves to second base, Matt Carpenter to first base and Brandon Moss to left field. Moss almost blew the game open, driving an 0-1 fastball to the wall in center, but Odubel Herrera’s leaping catch resulted in just one run scoring. But Yadier Molina fouled out and, on the 28th pitch from Velasquez, Jhonny Peralta struck out. The right-hander had retired 11 straight batters before hanging a 2-2 curveball that Herrera sent over the fence. He allowed one run on five hits, walking a pair while striking out three in six-plus innings of work.Morgan got off to a rocky start, needing 20 pitches to get through the first inning.
After the Phillies took the lead in the fifth, Altherr made it a 4-2 game by drilling an 0-1 pitch from Jonathan Broxton over the wall in left.
“He wasn’t locating his secondary pitches”, Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin said. “He had trouble doing that”.
BALTIMORE – Jason Castro homered and drove in four runs to help the Houston Astros notch their second straight blowout victory over struggling Baltimore.
The Phillies jumped out to a lead when Cesar Hernandez, back in the starting lineup after being out of it for two games (right foot), hit his first career leadoff home run. He also hit two singles in the game. The Phillies failed to hit an extra base hit for the sixth time in 2016 and were shut out for the sixth time.
They were fresh off of a come-from-behind, ninth-inning comeback victory against the Phillies on Friday. He entered Sunday averaging 11.96 K/9IP. Curt Schilling holds the modern day single season record (11.57 at Veterans Stadium in 1997). And, for the first time in almost a month, a seven-inning performance.
Leake, signed to a five-year, $80 million deal last offseason, has allowed at least three runs in five consecutive starts. He struck out 10 that night. Now, he’s looking to take advantage of a chance presented by injuries to the Phillies’ starting rotation.
“That’s good. They go far”.
“I don’t know what he would say, but the tendency for a lot of younger pitchers is to pitch away from contact with their good stuff”, Mackanin said.
Hellickson allowed just one more runner to reach scoring position after the third-inning home run.
“Not at all”, the manager said. He’s thrown 113 innings in 2016.
“Without question”, Mackanin said. But the end is near for his season. “He has to be more efficient with his pitches and get his pitch count down”.
During those, he’ll be working on becoming a more complete pitcher.
While Velasquez feels he’s sound of body at this late seasonal date – and let’s face it, the beat-up Phillies are so starter-poor right now, he isn’t about to say he’s exhausted even if he was dragging out there – he is honest enough to admit that maybe his head hasn’t been in the right place when it comes to pacing himself.
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“I got 16 strikeouts; cool. Why don’t you put up a net and protect all the fans?” “I’ve got to figure them out”.
