GaryMrMets
06-30-2004, 03:07 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/9046515.htm
Posted on Wed, Jun. 30, 2004
BAT CATS SUPPORT MILTON
Phillies' fireworks help muffle Eric's lackluster performance
By MARK KRAM
kramm@phillynews.com
SOME PITCHERS are simply blessed.
Consider Exhibit A in any conversation on that subject of late: Eric Milton.
The box score in your Daily News today says that Milton improved his record to 10-2, tied for the major league lead in wins.
Very impressive, but only until you check the fine print: Milton has an earned run average of 4.68. That would be a problem, except for the fact that the Phillies average 7.86 runs whenever he strolls to the mound. So no one should have been surprised by what occurred last evening at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies stunned the Montreal Expos, 17-7.
Milton gave up seven runs in five innings, but departed at that point with a very comfortable six-run lead. No pitcher in the National League has gotten more run support; Milton passed the previous leader, the Dodgers' Kaz Ishii, with his outing last night.
Milton said it was his "worst game of the year and I would like to forget about it."
Manager Larry Bowa said Milton was "up in the zone," but added: "Our starters pitched well the first couple of months but sort of hit a bump in the road. We have to start doing things together. We get good hitting and no pitching. Or we get good pitching and no hitting."
Good hitting is the order of the day as June draws to a close. In two games against the Expos, the Phillies have scored 31 runs. The 17 runs they scored were a season high. And by slamming four home runs off the beleaguered Montreal pitching staff - by Placido Polanco, Bobby Abreu, David Bell and Tomas Perez - the Phillies set a club record for home runs in a month with 43, so far. The previous record of 42 was set in June 1977.
Good pitching has become increasingly elusive. In Milton's case, he has been so-so over his last five appearances. Although he is 3-1 with one no-decision during that span, his earned run average has jumped from 3.78. On the plus side, he has had just one outing where he has given the Phillies fewer than five innings.
Milton was asked if he feels confident that his teammates will score runs for him.
He paused, then said: "I feel confident in this team winning, which is what we are doing."
Bowa laughed when asked why some pitchers just seem to get extraordinary run support. "If you could figure that out you would be a genius," he said. "I have no idea."
To get an idea of how well things are going for Milton, he was supposed to face Tony Armas Jr., who had shut out the Phillies last week over six innings. But when Armas came down with a stiff shoulder, Expos manager Frank Robinson called on young Shawn Hill, just up from Double A (and who, incidentally, is just the 16th Canadian to play for the Expos). It was not a promising debut.
The Expos spotted Hill an early 3-0 lead, but he gave two of those back in the second inning. With one out, Pat Burrell lined a double into the leftfield corner, at which point Hill was overcome with a sudden spell of wildness. He walked Bell and Mike Lieberthal to load the bases, and then walked Jason Michaels to force in a run. With the bases still loaded, Milton then lofted a fly to left that looked like it could go out. It fell into the outstretched glove of leftfielder Jamey Carroll, but it was deep enough to allow Bell to tag up and score.
The Phillies would have scored yet again that inning were it not for a fine play at first by Nick Johnson, who snared a sharp groundball by Jimmy Rollins that surely would have ended up in the rightfield corner. Johnson later robbed Jim Thome of an extra-base hit with a leaping grab in the fourth that ended up in a doubleplay and snared another line drive off his bat in the eighth.
The Phillies quickly tied it in the third when Polanco stroked a home run into the lower leftfield seats. Hill then walked Abreu, struck out Thome, but gave up back-to-back singles to Burrell and Bell, who drove Abreu in with the go-ahead run. Michaels and Milton then singled in the fifth and sixth runs, and Rollins drove in two more with a double that eluded centerfielder Brad Wilkerson. The Phillies led, 8-3. At that point, Robinson replaced Hill with T.J. Tucker, who secured the final out on a lazy fly to centerfield.
The Expos got to Milton again in the fifth. With one out, he gave up back-to-back singles to Orlando Cabrera and Jose Vidro, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Johnson slammed a three-run shot and Juan Rivera followed with a solo home run, and that 8-3 lead had suddenly evaporated to a single run, 8-7.
But the Phillies simply could not stop scoring runs for Milton. He was removed for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, but his teammates padded the lead with five more runs. The big blow was three-run shot by Abreu on a 3-2 pitch into the right-centerfield seats.
The Phils added four more in the eighth. Bell hit a two-run shot, his third home run in as many games. And Perez added a two-run home run to close out the scoring.
The Phillies scored 12 of their runs with two outs.
Bowa smiled and said, "It is always nice to get those runs."
Phillers
Jim Thome said yesterday that if he is chosen to play in the All-Star Game in Houston on July 13, he would be happy to participate in the home-run hitting contest.
With 26 home runs, in addition to a .309 batting average, Thome once again has stellar All-Star credentials.
Posted on Wed, Jun. 30, 2004
BAT CATS SUPPORT MILTON
Phillies' fireworks help muffle Eric's lackluster performance
By MARK KRAM
kramm@phillynews.com
SOME PITCHERS are simply blessed.
Consider Exhibit A in any conversation on that subject of late: Eric Milton.
The box score in your Daily News today says that Milton improved his record to 10-2, tied for the major league lead in wins.
Very impressive, but only until you check the fine print: Milton has an earned run average of 4.68. That would be a problem, except for the fact that the Phillies average 7.86 runs whenever he strolls to the mound. So no one should have been surprised by what occurred last evening at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies stunned the Montreal Expos, 17-7.
Milton gave up seven runs in five innings, but departed at that point with a very comfortable six-run lead. No pitcher in the National League has gotten more run support; Milton passed the previous leader, the Dodgers' Kaz Ishii, with his outing last night.
Milton said it was his "worst game of the year and I would like to forget about it."
Manager Larry Bowa said Milton was "up in the zone," but added: "Our starters pitched well the first couple of months but sort of hit a bump in the road. We have to start doing things together. We get good hitting and no pitching. Or we get good pitching and no hitting."
Good hitting is the order of the day as June draws to a close. In two games against the Expos, the Phillies have scored 31 runs. The 17 runs they scored were a season high. And by slamming four home runs off the beleaguered Montreal pitching staff - by Placido Polanco, Bobby Abreu, David Bell and Tomas Perez - the Phillies set a club record for home runs in a month with 43, so far. The previous record of 42 was set in June 1977.
Good pitching has become increasingly elusive. In Milton's case, he has been so-so over his last five appearances. Although he is 3-1 with one no-decision during that span, his earned run average has jumped from 3.78. On the plus side, he has had just one outing where he has given the Phillies fewer than five innings.
Milton was asked if he feels confident that his teammates will score runs for him.
He paused, then said: "I feel confident in this team winning, which is what we are doing."
Bowa laughed when asked why some pitchers just seem to get extraordinary run support. "If you could figure that out you would be a genius," he said. "I have no idea."
To get an idea of how well things are going for Milton, he was supposed to face Tony Armas Jr., who had shut out the Phillies last week over six innings. But when Armas came down with a stiff shoulder, Expos manager Frank Robinson called on young Shawn Hill, just up from Double A (and who, incidentally, is just the 16th Canadian to play for the Expos). It was not a promising debut.
The Expos spotted Hill an early 3-0 lead, but he gave two of those back in the second inning. With one out, Pat Burrell lined a double into the leftfield corner, at which point Hill was overcome with a sudden spell of wildness. He walked Bell and Mike Lieberthal to load the bases, and then walked Jason Michaels to force in a run. With the bases still loaded, Milton then lofted a fly to left that looked like it could go out. It fell into the outstretched glove of leftfielder Jamey Carroll, but it was deep enough to allow Bell to tag up and score.
The Phillies would have scored yet again that inning were it not for a fine play at first by Nick Johnson, who snared a sharp groundball by Jimmy Rollins that surely would have ended up in the rightfield corner. Johnson later robbed Jim Thome of an extra-base hit with a leaping grab in the fourth that ended up in a doubleplay and snared another line drive off his bat in the eighth.
The Phillies quickly tied it in the third when Polanco stroked a home run into the lower leftfield seats. Hill then walked Abreu, struck out Thome, but gave up back-to-back singles to Burrell and Bell, who drove Abreu in with the go-ahead run. Michaels and Milton then singled in the fifth and sixth runs, and Rollins drove in two more with a double that eluded centerfielder Brad Wilkerson. The Phillies led, 8-3. At that point, Robinson replaced Hill with T.J. Tucker, who secured the final out on a lazy fly to centerfield.
The Expos got to Milton again in the fifth. With one out, he gave up back-to-back singles to Orlando Cabrera and Jose Vidro, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Johnson slammed a three-run shot and Juan Rivera followed with a solo home run, and that 8-3 lead had suddenly evaporated to a single run, 8-7.
But the Phillies simply could not stop scoring runs for Milton. He was removed for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, but his teammates padded the lead with five more runs. The big blow was three-run shot by Abreu on a 3-2 pitch into the right-centerfield seats.
The Phils added four more in the eighth. Bell hit a two-run shot, his third home run in as many games. And Perez added a two-run home run to close out the scoring.
The Phillies scored 12 of their runs with two outs.
Bowa smiled and said, "It is always nice to get those runs."
Phillers
Jim Thome said yesterday that if he is chosen to play in the All-Star Game in Houston on July 13, he would be happy to participate in the home-run hitting contest.
With 26 home runs, in addition to a .309 batting average, Thome once again has stellar All-Star credentials.