Winning Streak Ends at Five, in 5-1 Loss to Reds

The Phillies' Barack Obama-induced winning streak ended at five games Wednesday night, with a 5-1 loss in Cincinnati. Without the adrenaline rush provided by playing the Reds in front of five-hundred and seventy-five dogs, as they did on Tuesday night, the Phils' bats were muzzled by Aaron Harang. Though all of the Phillies' hits were for extra bases, there were only four actual hits, with the sole run scoring on a Raul Ibanez homer. Harang might be a good trade acquisition for the Phillies, if they are unable to pick up D-backs' starter Doug Davis.

Phillies' starter Jamie Moyer failed in his forty-seventh attempt (OK. Fourth attempt.) at winning his two-hundred and fiftieth game, despite a quality start. Moyer has finally gotten his game back together, and the Phillies can now focus more on finding a roster spot for Gabor Paul Bako II, and less on acquiring Doug Davis from Arizona to replace Jamie Moyer. Or, perhaps, none of these things are true. Jamie Moyer's "quality" start was of the quotation-marks variety, as he only pitched six innings, allowing three runs. (It seems like the Phils have had a disproportionate number of "quality" starts, doesn't it?) Against a weak Reds lineup, devoid of slugger Joey Votto, Moyer permitted nine hits and a walk. Moyer was very fortunate to surrender only three runs, as the Reds' crazy, wacky baserunning shenanigans gifted him with at least three damage-minimizing outs. While Moyer did have better results, than in six of his previous seven starts, the performance was hardly good enough to silence any concerns.

The Phils meet the Reds in the rubber game of their three-game series on Thursday afternoon. Joe Blanton brings his 6.86 ERA, 5.54 FIP, and .305 Opponents' BA to the mound for the Phillies. Blanton does have a BABIP of .350 this season (lifetime BABIP: .302), so perhaps better times are to come. He doesn't appear to be injured, but erratic command has resulted in some wretched innings. The Phillies remained a game ahead of the Mets, after both teams lost on Wednesday. The Braves, winners of seven of ten, are a half-game behind the Mets. With a series on the road against the Yankees looming for this weekend, the Phils need to take Thursday's game. (Fortunately, the Mets play the Red Sox this weekend, so they will likely be swept.)