Former Phillie J.A. Happ pitched five scoreless innings to lead the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-0 shutout of the Phillies in an interleague game at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.
The loss snapped the Phillies’ modest two-game winning streak. They defeated Washington, 1-0, on Sunday. The Phillies scored that run in the first inning. They have now gone 16 straight innings without a run.
The Phils are 15-15.
Toronto is 15-17.
Starting pitching report
Kyle Kendrick, starting for the first time in 11 days, gave up two runs in the first inning and another in the second. He did not allow a run the remainder of his seven-inning outing and pitched out of trouble several times, but was not backed by any offense. Kendrick stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
Happ made his first start of the season and held the Phils scoreless on three hits and four walks over five innings. Happ opened the season on the disabled list with a back injury.
Happ was drafted and came to the majors with the Phillies. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 and was traded to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal in 2010. He has made three starts against the Phillies and allowed just three runs in 17 1/3 innings.
Bullpen report
Toronto used four relievers after Happ and the Blue Jays did not allow a run over four innings.
Most impressive was lefty Aaron Loup, who struck out three batters in the seventh, including Chase Utley with runners on second and third.
Brett Cecil had the save.
At the plate
Ben Revere and Marlon Byrd teamed for four of the Phillies’ seven hits, but the Phils went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
Freddy Galvis ended an 0-for-24 skid with a single in the third inning. He went 1 for 5 on the night and is 2 for 36 on the season.
Toronto took a 1-0 lead on Jose Reyes’ leadoff homer in the first inning. The Jays added a second run in the inning on a bloop RBI hit by Juan Francisco.
Kendrick opened the second by walking Colby Rasmus. Josh Thole followed with an RBI double to give the Jays a 3-0 lead.
In the field
Toronto rightfielder Jose Bautista is known mostly for his power bat, but he showed a power arm in gunning down Byrd at the plate as he tried to score from third on a fly ball by Ryan Howard in the sixth inning.
Health check
Jimmy Rollins, who tweaked a groin muscle on Sunday, was held out of the starting lineup as a precaution (see story). He entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning and popped out.
In other health news, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, recovering from a shoulder issue, hit 95 mph on the radar gun in Florida on Monday (see story).
Up next
Cole Hamels (0-2, 6.75) starts against Toronto right-hander Drew Hutchison (1-2, 3.82) on Tuesday night. Hamels had his start pushed back a couple of days because of illness.