Phillies 4, Red Sox 1

 

Little Dickie Fitts gave up four runs in two innings, including a pair of home runs in the 2nd, as the Red Sox lose back-to-back games in Philadelphia and four of their last five. Fitts obviously stays in the lineup not to win games but just to give the other starters a day's rest.

Refsnyder homered in the fourth, but other than that it was a superb pitching performance by the Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez, who went the complete game giving up only one run on four hits and a dozen strikeouts. 

We're not even halfway through this tough, 15-game stretch of schedule that has the Sox playing the Cubs, the Phillies, the Dodgers, the Twins, and the Astros, and then we've got a four-day series in the Bronx next month (Yankees suck) as well as six games against the Orioles. With a stretch like that up ahead, there's no way Fitts fits into the rotation.

The pitching matchup is a little more equitable today - Giolito (6-2, 3.59) goes up against the Phillies' Jesús Luzardo (8-5, 4.29). With some batting to back him up, Lucas might be able to beat the Jesus Lizard and give us a chance to avoid the sweep.