Philadelphia Phillies Again Embarrassed By Red Sox in Boston

It just doesn’t seem like the Phillies are ever going to get back on track, does it?

Even earlier this season, it wasn’t a big deal if the Phillies fell behind because we all knew the bats would get going and they’d find a way to pull it out.

They used to thrive when they were down, but now it seems to do nothing but take the wind right out of their sails.

And now things have gotten so bad that even with an early two-run lead, the Phils can’t seem to get out of their own way long enough to actually make something happen or sustain a run.

The one and only bright spot of this dreadful run for the Phillies was the fact that their starting pitchers were at least keeping them in the game. Even the rightfully oft-criticized bullpen wasn’t allowing a whole lot of scoring.

But now, after two of the worst outings I’ve seen in back-to-back days by starting pitchers, there isn’t a bright spot left for the Phillies.

Jamie Moyer had his worst start in his 84-year career and was only able to last a little over one inning as he gave up nine runs on nine hits and the Phils lost 12-2 to the Red Sox on Friday.

And then, on Saturday, Joe Blanton decided to keep it up as he gave up nine runs of his own on 13 hits over four pathetic innings.

But that’s not even the most embarrassing part. The most embarrassing part is when a kid making his first major league plate appearance comes up with the bases loaded and I’m not surprised in the least when he hits a grand slam.

That’s right. For those of you who had the good fortune to miss the game, Daniel Nava, a kid who went undrafted and played in an independent league, nailed a grand slam off Blanton in his very first plate appearance.

Not only that, but he did it on the very first pitch.

That should be a surprising feat. The guys in the booth were surprised as they yammered on and on and on and on about it all game long, but I wasn’t shocked in the least.

I stood in front of my TV, said “Here comes the salami” out-loud to myself and simply shook my head and walked away as soon as he took the swing. No doubt about it, that ball was gone.

But that wasn’t the end of the woeful day as the Phils were victimized for 10 runs and 16 hits while they were held scoreless for the final seven innings and only mustered seven hits for the day and continued their horrendous interleague play.

Cole Hamels is slated to get the start on Sunday as the Phillies look to avoid being swept by the Red Sox, but that doesn’t appear likely with the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on the mound for Boston.

The Phillies have a tough time with knuckleball pitchers and with any team playing out of the AL, so don’t expect much of anything on Sunday, either.

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