Philadelphia Phillies: Vance Worley Tosses a Gem and Records a Career-High

The Philadelphia Phillies blanked the San Diego Padres Thursday night by a score of 2-0.

On the bump for the Phillies was Vance Worley, and he pitched arguably the best game of his young career against the light-hitting Padres.

Worley tossed seven shutout innings in San Diego, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 11 batters.

His great outing translated to his first win of the 2012 season (1-1), but the fact that he pitched so well is surprising considering the fact that Carlos Ruiz was his catcher, rather than his personal catcher, Brian Schneider.

Another interesting thing to note is the fact that Worley was having problems seeing the signs from Ruiz because his signature goggles kept fogging up as the game progressed.

It got to the point where he even had to call to the dugout for a towel to wipe off the condensation.

No big deal, though—he struck out Mark Kotsay looking following the short timeout.

The Padres threatened a few times in the contest. Worley displayed good, clutch pitching by stranding runners at third in the second, sixth and seventh innings.

With the win at Petco Park, the Phillies have now won 12 straight at the ballpark, the longest active streak for any visiting team. They’re also 23-4 at the stadium all-time.

Chad Qualls and Jonathan Papelbon relieved Worley in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, holding down the lead and finishing off a great performance by the Phillies’ young right-hander.

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