The sun was dipping low in this at-bat last night by the Reading Phillies.All you need to know about the Phillies game last night is that Jamie Moyer ran his string of consecutive quality starts (three runs or fewer) to 14. In that stretch, the Phillies have won just five of his games. Last night Moyer gave up two runs in 6.2 innings; the Phillies lost 4-3 and the Nationals snapped their 12-game losing streak. Two of three from the Nats does not do it.
Jimmy Rollins has been mediocre for much of the season; since his ill-timed, ill-advised comments on that dumb-jock TV show in LA, he's been dreadful. The comments are just talk (get over it, you loudmouthed Philadelphia fans) but what stunned me was his being late to that Mets game in New York. Chase Utley started off MVP-hot and fell off a cliff. Ryan Howard, despite his league-leading numbers, has been maddeningly inconsistent, while piling up an all-time record for K's. Pat Burrell, in a 'career year', has become invisible. This is not a slump, this is the end of a season.
I listened to the Phillies game driving home from Reading. Lefty starter Antonio Bastardo gave up one run on two hits in 4.2 innings. But the R-Phils' dismal season continued with a 8-1 loss to the Bowie Baysox. It was their ninth loss in a row. They are almost 40 games under .500. Most of the Bowie runs scored on errors or mental mistakes. Despite having several prospects, including two now in Beijing and one in Allentown, this team has been pretty awful. It was a quiet crowd at the park on a rather lovely evening. And so, good-bye to Reading 2008.
Last note: Catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald, both with Team USA in Beijing, were named to the Eastern League's end-of-season All-Star team.
