Philadelphia, PA - Lefty Jamie Moyer got his second straight win since ending a three-start slide, as the Philadelphia Phillies pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1, in a rain-shortened opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
Moyer (9-8), who had dropped consecutive starts to Houston, Colorado and the Los Angeles Dodgers from July 2-16 before rebounding with a 12-4 defeat of San Diego on July 21, gave up one unearned run on six hits with four strikeouts over seven innings.
Pat Burrell homered and knocked in three runs for the Phillies, who have won six of their last seven. Michael Bourn, playing for Aaron Rowand who hurt his left shoulder playing tag with children, finished 4-for-4 and scored twice in the win.
In other injury news for the Phils, second baseman Chase Utley had successful surgery on Friday to repair a broken bone in his right hand. Utley, hit by a pitch from Washington’s John Lannan on Thursday, had a pin inserted into his hand during a 20-minute procedure and could miss up to four weeks. They did receive some good news on Friday when pitcher Brett Myers, who suffered a right shoulder strain after throwing a wild pitch in Philadelphia’s win over Florida on May 23, was activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Right-hander John Van Benschoten (0-5), returning to the Pittsburgh rotation after having his last turn skipped, gave up seven runs on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old San Diego native has failed to get through the third inning in three straight outings, having given up six hits and nine runs in a 10-8 loss to Colorado on July 16 and seven hits and five runs in 2 2/3 innings while losing to the Chicago Cubs on July 7.
Ronny Paulino went 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Pirates, who have dropped four of five and are at the bottom of the National League.
Philadelphia plated a pair of runs in the first. Bourn lined a lead- off single, Shane Victorino got hit by a pitch, and Jimmy Rollins walked. Ryan Howard and Burrell struck out, but Greg Dobbs singled home two runs.
The Phillies got six more runs in the third. Howard walked before Burrell’s two-run shot to left field on the first pitch he saw. Dobbs walked and came home on Carlos Ruiz’s double. Moyer then helped himself, singling home Ruiz, as Tony Armas replaced Van Benschoten on the mound.
Bourn, Victorino and Rollins followed with three straight singles to score another run. After Howard struck out swinging, Burrell then walked in another run to put the game away.
Pittsburgh got on the board with a run in the fifth. Josh Phelps reached on a throwing error by Dobbs, advanced to third on Jose Castillo’s double, and made it home on a Paulino single.
Game Notes
To fill the hole in the lineup and on the diamond vacated by Utley, the Phillies acquired second baseman Tadahito Iguchi from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Michael Dubee. Philadelphia also purchased the contract of infielder/outfielder Joe Thurston from Triple-A Ottawa, designated infielder Danny Sandoval for assignment, and optioned pitcher Mike Zagurski to Ottawa…This was the first meeting between the two clubs this season after they split six games in 2006.
