PITTSBURGH, PA --Great starting pitching, an expensive, proven closer, and a mediocre offense. That's your 2012 Philadelphia Phillies.
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The Fightins kept to that script in Thursday's 1-0 opening day win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Roy Halladay was absolutely fantastic. The offense scrounged together one lone run in the seventh inning. And new closer Jonathan Papelbon put them down in order in the bottom of the ninth to help the Phillies move to 1-0 on the season.
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After Roy Halladay gave up a pair of singles in the first inning of the season, he was lights out from that point forward, allowing only two other Pirates to reach base the rest of the day -- both were hit by a pitch.
Halladay's final line: 8 innings, 2 hits, 5 strikeous, and 2 HBP (92 picthes, 65 for strikes)
John Mayberry Jr. left his weak-hitting spring numbers behind when he stepped up to the plate for his first at bat of the season, a single to right that eventually got him in to scoring position after a Carlos Ruiz bloop single of his own. He didn't score then, but it got his bat going early.
Later in the seventh, Mayberry blooped a ball down the line, good for a double that advanced Ty Wigginton to third and eventually led to Carlos Ruiz eating his first ice cream of the season with a weak sac-fly to right that juuuuust scored Wigginton. It put the Phillies up 1-0 in the seventh and that proved to be enough.
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Charlie Manuel's instinct to start Mayberry again paid off.
One of 162 is in the books and it went into the win column.
More on the game in a bit...
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Other Notes:
It didn't take Freddy Galvis long to showcase his skill on the field, turning a big double play ball from Jimmy Rollins off the bat of Andrew McCutchen to record the first two outs of the game which helped Roy Halladay get out of the first frame of the season unscathed.
In the top of the second, however, he had his first opportunity to contribute with his bat, but weakly grounded into a double play up the middle to end the inning. He grounded into yet another DP later in the game with men on as well. Not a great day at the dish for the Phillies rookie who finished 0 for 4.
Carlos Ruiz rode his hot spring bat into the regular season by going 3 for 3 on the day and notched the only RBI of the day.
Shane Victorino stole a base.