My buddy Pat instant messaged me during the Phillies game saying, "you almost have to feel bad for Bronson Arroyo against the Phils. He goes out there knowing how it's going to end."
It wasn't a good night for Arroyo and the Reds but it was a pretty great one for the Phils. Roy Halladay was fantastic after a lengthy eight days off. He stifled the Reds for seven innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine.
After a minor first inning jam, Roy was cruising. And he got plenty of support from his offense, including two homers from Ryan Howard who surpassed the 100 RBI mark once again.
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The Big Piece said after the game that the offense feeds off of the Big Ace.
"You definitely feed off a guy like Roy, " Ryan Howard told Sarge after the game. "You just want to go out there and you want to make plays for him. He did it with the bat, our pitchers have done a great job this year swinging it, he had that big double to clear the bases."
Howard was referring to a bases-clearing double Halladay ripped for his first 3 RBIs of the season.
The Piece also called Hunter Pence a freak of nature for his ability to tomahawk some high heat deep into the Cincy night. Pence's blast was simply killed. If you ever get a chance to go to a Phils game early to watch batting practice, get down there to see Hunter do work.
Pence and Ibanez added solo shots of their own. Raul's line is worth noting after his lengthy down time as well. He finished 3-5 with a pair of runs, a pair of RBIs, and the one long ball.
Pretty much a game where everyone was clicking. 9-0 wins all night long.
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Here's a clip of Roy talking about his hitting skills postgame via Ryan Lawrence: