4-0 Lead Not Enough

As seen on Phillies Nation.

The Phillies scored four runs in the first inning, however rookie Antonio Bastardo could not hold the lead as the Rays came back from a four runs deficit.

Ryan Howard's two-run double put the Phillies on the board. Matt Stairs followed with a double of his own to drive in Howard. Pedro Feliz singled in Stairs and the Phillies found themselves with an early 4-0 lead.

Antonio Bastardo could not provide the "shut down inning" and gave up three runs in the bottom of the first, including Ben Zobrist's sixteenth home run of the year. Bastardo allowed three more runs in the second before exiting in the fourth with a left shoulder strain. There is no word on the extent of the injury.

Bastardo's line was ugly: 3.2 IP, 7 hits, six earned runs, 3 walks, four strike outs, two home runs. On the other hand, Andy Sonnanstine settled down after the first inning and the Phillies did not score for the rest of the game.

Trailing 6-4 with one out and runners at the corners, the Phillies had a chance to rally in the sixth inning. Eric Bruntlett hit a fly ball to center, deep enough to score the run. Stairs tug up, but Feliz lost track of the outs and was doubled off at first before Stairs crossed the plate.

The Phillies were unhappy with home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom's strike zone, which allowed the sixth inning to turn into a three-run inning for the Rays. Several Phillies batters were also complaining with the inconsistent strike zone before an argument broke between a few Phillies players, Charlie Manuel, and Cederstorm.

Either way, the Phillies need to tack on runs and the pitching could not limit the damage. The Phillies also continued to make mental mistakes. With the 10-4 loss, the Phillies dropped their second in a row and the series to Rays.

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