It was Pagoda Day at First Energy Stadium in Reading and we all got spiffy red caps with a blue pagoda on front. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Reading's most distinctive landmark, which sits on a mountain overlooking the city. On an afternoon of mixed spring weather (showers, sun, wind), Fabio Castro led the R-Phils against the Altoona Curve and for 6.1 innings the little lefty had a no-hitter. He then gave up a clean hit but finished strong and left with a one-hitter after seven. The relievers allowed the only runs in the R-Phils 5-2 victory, which also featured some nice defensive plays and a 3-run homer by catcher John Suomi.Yesterday evening at the Lehigh Valley game, Travis Blackley looked good against the Richmond Braves for five innings. The IronPigs put some hits together in that frame to take a 2-1 lead, but the relief corps came in in the 6th and coughed it up in excruciating fashion. Another 'Pigs' loss: 5-3.
Not dressed for the falling temps, we left the 'Pigs after the sixth and caught the last of the Phillies-Cubs on the way home. It was pretty much Cole Hamels just being Cole, holding the Cubs to one hit through seven and improving his ERA to 0.82. The Phillies banged out 11 hits in the 7-1 win. However, Shane Victorino left the game in the 6th with a right calf strain, the same injury that sidelined him for a month last season, and went straight to the 15-day DL. That means both guys at the top of the order are now out. Bummer, bummer, bummer.
