Phils Get Swept Out Of Hotlanta

The Phillies are very lucky to be where they are. They just got swept by the Atlanta Braves and they lost first place. They are now tied with the Florida Marlins for first place in the National League East.
J.A. Happ pitched very well tonight. Happ went seven innings and only gave up two runs. Those two runs came on a Casey Kotchmen two-run homerun. Ryan Madson came into the game in the eighth inning hoping to keep it at a 2-2 tie. Madson was unsuccessful. In one inning, Madson gave up three runs, including a two-run homerun by Garret Anderson.
The Phillies bats could never get going tonight. They have a lot of chances with two outs to score but they failed most of the time. They did manage to eek out two runs thanks to RBI's from Greg Dobbs and Pete Happy. On a high note, Jimmy Rollins snapped his longest hitless streak of his career by getting a base hit in the third inning.
UP NEXT
Phillies:Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez will make his season debut Friday against the Mets. He takes left-hander Antonio Bastardo's spot in the rotation. Bastardo is on the DL with a strained left shoulder. Lopez is 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA in his seven-year Major League career. Because of arm problems, he last pitched for the Rockies in 2007. Lopez signed a Minor League deal with the Phillies at the end of Spring Training after they watched him pitch in the World Baseball Classic.
Mets:Livan Hernandez only had one bad inning against the Yankees in his last start. Hernandez surrendered three first-inning runs last Sunday. Hernandez was in total control after that, allowing just one more hit as he completed seven innings for a third consecutive start. Although Hernandez has pitched well of late, the Mets have lost his past four starts. While this will be Hernandez's first start against the Phillies this season, he has a 10-8 record and a 3.36 ERA against Philadelphia in 24 career starts; he is 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA in five starts at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley is 8-for-24 lifetime against the right-hander, and Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard each have two home runs -- but averages below .200 -- against Hernandez.