It continues to be a tough year for Gavin Floyd, the highly touted
first-round draft pick. After experiencing success in his first
big-league stint as a September call-up last year, Floyd has hit hard
times in his second go-around.
Tonight was no different, in an
interleague game against the Texas Rangers. Despite getting two
first-pitch outs, he still needed 25 pitches to get through the first
inning thanks to two walks, and Texas taxed him for 24 in the second,
damaging him with a solo homer in the process.
The wheels
ultimately came off in the third. The first five batters reached,
punctuated by a Gary Matthews RBI double and a two-run homer by Richard
Hidalgo. He had abysmal control, and on top of that, worse luck. When
he did get a weakly hit ball, it ended up being an infield single after
Jimmy Rollins was unsuccessful trying to get the runner at third.
Incidentally, that extended Alfonso Soriano's hit streak to 23 games.
Floyd finished his day by walking in a run, his seventh free pass on the day to go along with six hits.
Another
much-maliged Phillie, Jim Thome, provided a highlight in his toughest
year in baseball with a towering shot to left. He also hit into a 7-2
double play, when Pat Burrell was thrown out at home trying to turn it
into a sacrifice fly.
Record: 53-39 |
Box score |
Play-by-play