Friday, April 22, 2011
Posted: 1:23 a.m.Updated: 3:10 a.m.
By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com
SAN DIEGOOn a night when indispensable eighth-inning reliever Ryan Madson needed the night off because of unspecified soreness, Antonio Bastardo continued to blossom into a key arm out of the Phillies bullpen.
Bastardo got four important outs for the Phils on Thursday night, helping nail down a 3-0 win over San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Big, manager Charlie Manuel said of Bastardos performance. Very big.
Bastardo got a key out with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning, then stayed on for the eighth and survived a leadoff single before getting three outs in that inning. The 25-year-old left-hander is up to eight innings for the season and has not been charged with a run.
Bastardo needed to get four outs on this night because the bullpen was shorthanded with Madson needing a day off.
MLB
He was sore, Manuel said.
Manuel said Madsons soreness was a routine by-product of his recent workload. He said the soreness was not in the pitchers arm.
Body soreness, Manuel said.
Madson downplayed the issue after the game.
Its from pitching four out of six days, he said.
His mood turned testy when he was asked where he was feeling the soreness.
Im fine. Im good, he snapped. I took a day off. Is that good enough for you guys?
If Madson were the last man in the bullpen on a non-contending team, his soreness might not be an issue. But the right-hander was arguably the best reliever in the National League during the second half of last season and might be the best eighth-inning man in the game. He is crucial to this teams chances. If his manager says hes sore, its an issue that requires questioning.
The Phillies had better hope that Madson feels better on Friday night because closer Jose Contreras looks like a guy who could use a day off. He threw 26 pitches and survived two base runners in recording the save Thursday night. Contreras has pitched five times in the last seven days. Madson could get the Phils next save chanceif hes physically up for it.
Entering the game, all eyes were on Ace No. 3, Roy Oswalt, who had to leave his last start due to spasms in the middle of his back. Oswalt proved to be fine, going six scoreless innings and allowing just a single and two walks. He left after six innings and 106 pitches. His pitch count soared in the fourth when he needed 14 pitches to strike out the first batter, Jorge Cantu. Oswalt actually mutated a pitch in getting that out. He drove the tip of his middle finger into the ballpitchers call it spiking the ballso he could get more torque on his slider. Spiking the ball is usually reserved for curveballs.
Oswalt is 3-0 on the season and 11-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 19 career appearances, 17 starts, against the Padres.
Oswalt needed to be on top of his game because the Phillies offense is still not putting up big run totals. San Diego starter Mat Latos allowed four hits and five walks in 4 13 innings, but the Phils managed just three runs against himand three for the nightlargely because they went one for nine with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. Ben Francisco and Brian Schneider accounted for two of the Phils runs with a pair of solo homers.
The middle of the Phillies batting order was particularly feeble with Ryan Howard going 0 for 5 with four strikeouts. Three of Howards strikeouts came against Latos. He is 0 for 8 with eight strikeouts against the San Diego right-hander.
The Phillies are now 5-2 on the road this season. They have won eight in a row in San Diego with local product Cole Hamels ready to pitch on Friday night.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com
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