Howard Smith-USATodaySports
Perhaps yesterday was a small sample into the future for the Philadelphia Phillies. They had Chase Utley and Domonic Brown manning the middle of the lineup. Then they had rookies Darin Ruf and Cody Asche doing their thing. They went a combined 5-for-9 with two bombs and four RBIs.
So just maybe, this year is not a complete wash after all. Hopefully, the kids continue to grow.
Speaking of the youngsters, another one was solid as well. That would be Ethan Martin. The 23-year old right-hander (making his second major league start) allowed a run on four hits and three walks in five innings. He did struggle with his command, but he was able to battle through it for his first major-league win.
Guess what? The Phils actually won a series. Hooray!
The Phils will make a quick trip down I-95 tonight to take on the Washington Nationals. The Nats have been a major disappointment this year. They’re six games below .500, 15.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and nine games behind the last Wild Card spot. I wonder if Mike Rizzo is regretting sitting Stephen Strasburg from last year’s playoffs? Just saying.
Dan Haren will take the bump tonight for the Nats. He has been pitching much better as of late, going 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA in five starts since coming off the disabled list from July. Overall though, he is 6-11 with a 5.14 ERA and has been a bust for the Nats.
On the hill tonight for the Phils will be John Lannan (3-4 4.10 era), who was cruising through the first four innings of his last outing against the Braves before running into trouble in the fifth inning in a 5-4 loss. Lannan allowed just one run on a solo home run in the first four innings of the game, but could not get out of the fifth.
Joseph Hickman is a Philadelphia Eagles writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @phillytugger, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+
