The Phillies got some revenge on the Indians two weeks after being pounded in Cleveland with a 6-2 win to open their five-game, all-Ohio homestand.
Jonathan Pettibone gave up two runs in the second inning but cruised thereafter to improve to 3-0 on the season with a 3.41 ERA. The rookie right-hander has made five starts and allowed three runs or fewer in each of them.
The Phils supported Pettibone with runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings. The win improves them to 19-21, the closest they’ve been to .500 since they started last week’s west coast road trip 2-0.
Starting pitching
Pettibone allowed just two runs and six baserunners over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three. He exited the game with two outs and nobody on in the seventh, at 92 pitches.
Pettibone continues to give the Phillies solid production out of the No. 4 spot in the rotation. He’s kept the Phillies in the game each time he’s taken the hill and the Phils are 4-1 in his starts.
Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.33) needed 96 pitches to get 15 outs. He allowed four runs over five innings one start after striking out 10 Athletics.
The offense
Kevin Frandsen, starting in place of Chase Utley, homered to left off Kazmir in the first inning to get the scoring started. It was the second straight start Frandsen homered off a lefty. Frandsen was also hit twice, becoming the 100th player in major-league history to homer and be hit by two pitches in the same game. Since the start of 2012, Frandsen has hit .413 with a .625 slugging percentage in 80 at-bats vs. left-handers.
Domonic Brown later lined a homer to left off Kazmir, effectively ending his night. It was Brown’s third homer of the season off a southpaw, and it boosted his season batting average vs. lefties to .314. His work against left-handers has been a tremendous sign.
Batting eighth in place of Ben Revere, John Mayberry doubled in two runs to put the Phillies ahead for good in the fourth. In his first at-bat he singled with two outs to turn the lineup over, which is something the Phillies haven’t done much at all this season. With two outs in an inning, Phillies eight-hole hitters had a .238 on-base percentage entering Tuesday’s game. He ended his productive night with an RBI single in the ninth inning.
Later in the ninth, Freddy Galvis added more insurance with an RBI single. Galvis, who Charlie Manuel said might get some looks in center field (see story), is hitting .294 this season with an impressive .828 OPS.
Bullpen report
Antonio Bastardo finished the seventh inning for Pettibone, but put runners on first and third with one out in the eighth. Without Mike Adams (back spasms), a two-run lead was placed in jeopardy, but a beleaguered Phillies middle relief crew put out the fire. Justin De Fratus got the call against righty Mark Reynolds and popped him up, and Jeremy Horst struck out Michael Brantley to end the threat.
Stranding inherited runners has been a problem for the Phils’ 'pen all season, but with De Fratus in the mix, the Phils appear to have another capable right-hander for late-inning situations. His getting the call in a crucial spot says something about the confidence, or lack thereof, Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee have in Phillippe Aumont and Chad Durbin at this time.
Jonathan Papelbon faced the minimum to finish the game. Papelbon has made 15 straight scoreless appearances since allowing a meaningless two-run homer to Jason Heyward in the second game of the season. His ERA is down to 1.08.
Next up
The brief two-game series concludes tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. when Cole Hamels (1-5, 4.18) takes on right-hander Corey Kluber (2-2, 5.64).