(Jonathan Pettibone/USA Today Sports)
There were plenty of questions surrounding what to expect from Jonathan Pettibone in his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but if his first game is any indication of what to expect–the pitcher could have a bright career ahead of him.
Even though he didn’t pick up the win, Pettibone pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings while allowing just two runs on six hits to go along with six strikeouts as the Phillies went on to win the game 3-2. It’s understandable to see the team worried about what to expect from Pettibone considering the only reason he was starting to begin with was because John Lannan was placed on the disabled list, but the pitcher came up big in his debut.
Hopefully, Pettibone can display more outings like this and make a name for himself in the rotation during the 2013 season.
Philadelphia is one of those teams that’s still difficult to figure out so far this season as they’ve been one of the most inconsistent teams so far over the first month of the season. There’s no question the Phillies have what it takes to compete for the NL East title, but it certainly won’t be easy when looking at how the rest of the division (minus the Miami Marlins) are playing so far.
With May right around the corner, there’s still plenty of baseball left in the regular season and even if it was just one game–the Phillies have to be pleased with the way Pettibone looked in his debut on Monday.
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