Philadelphia Phillies edged out by Atlanta Braves 1-2 as their offence experiences a slump-MLB
Joe Blanton’s great spell of seven innings goes in vain as the Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Atlanta Braves 1-2 at Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia in the second game of the three match series on July 28, 2012.
It is not the first time that the Phillies’ offence has deprived a starter of a victory. Unable to connect enough number of hits on Saturday, they failed to accumulate runs that were needed for winning the game.
While earlier the Phillies may have the excuse of missing Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the line-up, on Saturday they had both of them present and yet they struggled big-time. They gathered just four hits in the game.
Only run that the Phillies scored in the game came off through a home-run by the second baseman Utley. Other than him, none of the batters was able to go aboard as the hits were few and far between.
Their first baseman Howard was hitless on Saturday.
As far as the Braves’ offence was concerned, there was nothing special from their hitters either. Similar to the way the Phillies’ batters fared, they also were poor with regard to making proper connections on the plate.
What made the difference then in the game was the impeccable eight innings the Braves’ starter Mike Minor completed. He struck-out nine while allowing just one run. Following his footsteps, the relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel was scoreless in the last inning
while he struck-out two.
Meanwhile, it was one of the best outings that Minor has experienced on the mound this year. He believes his confidence which was down earlier is now back. The precision with which he hit the spot on Saturday is commendable.
"I feel like I've had the confidence, it was just more of executing pitches and not blowing up on myself inside and letting it carry over to the next inning or the next at-bat," Minor said.
Meanwhile, the Phillies have reached the lowest ebb of their performance.
While their management is busy doing roster moves through trades, it seems a respectable ending of the season that they are hoping for is not going to happen. Their slump is only getting worse after every game.
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