Jimmy Rollins made his presence known immediately last night. Batting third in the absence of Chase Utley, Rollins had an RBI ground-out in the first inning to tie the Pirates 1-1. Kyle Kendrick gave up a lead-off home run to Delwyn Young, then went to work keeping his pitches down and getting the Pirates to ground out. Kendrick went eight innings, giving up just two runs. The Phillies meanwhile got a three-run homer from Jayson Werth (ka-ching, ka-ching) and a grand slam from Ryan Howard, who had six RBI for the game. Antonio Bastardo pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in the 12-2 victory.
Rollins looked like his old self in the field and on the base paths. Great to have you back, Jimmy. The Pirates look like the perennially-rebuilding team they have been for over a decade. The wonder of it is that the Phillies simply cannot win against them in PNC Park. Why is that jewel of a ballpark so inhospitable to Philadelphia?
