Opening night

It is opening night for 4 Phillies affiliates tonight, all at home. Tyler Cloyd will get the ball in Lakewood, Kyle Drabek gets the assignment in Clearwater, Tyson Brummett will be Steve Roadcap's ace in Reading, and Kyle Kendrick, winner of 21 major league games in a year and a half, gets the honor in Lehigh Valley. I will be in Lakewood, where we will be alright if the wind is gentle!

We do have a major league assignment today at 1:30- on YES-Baltimore's Alfredo Simon gets his 2009 debut against the Yankees. The addition of these major league games to seek out is getting fun.

And , yesterday, we were taught the basic lesson of baseball once again, as Gavin Floyd pitched 7 strong innings for the White Sox, giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, 9 strike outs. Unfortunately for Gavin, the White Sox did not score and the Royals triumphed, 2-0. A loss for Floyd, but he clearly pitched well enough to win, keeping his team in the game through 7 innings. The basic lesson of baseball I was talking about: Nobody can win when his team does not score!!


Sometimes, no matter how many runs you score it is not enough. Just ask the Atlanta Braves. The Braves, who had stifled the Phillies for 2 games, took a 10-3 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning, when the Phillies offense came through with 8 runs, exactly half of them on bases loaded walks, and Philadelphia held on for their first win of 2009, by a score of 12-11. Ryan Howard had a double, his 1st RBI, and scored 2 runs, and Carlos Ruiz had a single and a walk in 3 plate appearances. J.A. Happ relieved Joe Blanton after 4 innings, throwing the fifth and sixth innings for Philadelphia. Happ allowed a 2 run homer to 22-year old Jordan Schafer, but pitched well overall, picking up 2 strike outs.

In Houston, the Cubs belted the Astros, 11-6. Michael Bourn was 1 for 4 for Houston, and has at least 1 hit in each of the first 3 games.