IS STOCKPILING DEFENSEMEN
This comes from esteemed Inquirer baseball writer Bob Brookover, who spent the morning at the Phillies' B game against Toronto.
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jamie Moyer started the ‘B’ game this morning at Dunedin Stadium, but got a heavy dose of the Toronto Blue Jays’ ‘A’ lineup.
The result was a D at best for the Phillies’ veteran lefthander.
“I didn’t think I threw very well,” Moyer said after allowing five earned runs, eight hits and a walk during the Phillies’ morning exhibition against a Toronto lineup that included seven big-league regulars. “I elevated a few too many pitches. I threw a lot of poor pitches and I threw a lot of good pitches.”
Moyer, in two previous ‘B’ games against a lot of Toronto hitters that won’t make the big-league club, had thrown three scoreless each time. He needed just 31 pitches to get through his previous outing, but this morning he needed that many to get through the first inning.
Jose Bautista singled, Aaron Hill doubled, Adam Lind singled and Vernon Wells doubled to start the bottom of the first. After registering consecutive strikeouts with sharp changeups, Moyer couldn’t tried to get a 1-2 changeup past Chris Lubanski, but the Blue Jays’ outfielder slammed the pitch off the right-field wall for a two-run double.
Moyer pitched a scoreless second, then surrendered another run in the third on an RBI double by catcher John Buck.
After throwing 63 pitches – 41 for strikes – in his three innings, Moyer said he struggled “getting the ball in front of me and throwing on a downward plane.”
“I’ll never be a guy that will throw an excuse out there,” Moyer said. “I had the ball and I threw the pitches, so it’s my responsibility to throw well. I do know it’s not going to be well every time, but I know it’s not going to be poor every time. This part of the year is all about getting your feet underneath you and I feel like I can take as much from this game as I can the previous two games.”
Pitching coach Rich Dubee indicated earlier in spring training that Moyer, based on his experience and long track record of success, had an edge over righthander Kyle Kendrick in the fight for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Kendrick, however, has thrown exceptionally well so far this spring.
“That’s their choice,” Moyer said. “It’s all about contributing.”
Zagurski has scoreless outing
Lefthander Mike Zagurski said he threw two scoreless innings in his ‘B’ game outing against the Blue Jays. He said he allowed one hit and a walk.
“The first inning went well,” Zagurski, who has a chance to earn a bullpen spot if neither Brad Lidge nor J.C. Romero are able to start the season. “The second one I gave up a single and I had a bad walk. It was a sloppy walk.”
Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.
This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.
Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.
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