A few days ago, Charlie Manuel was thankful that Raul Ibanez could muster only a single. It was Sunday and an off day awaited Monday, which meant the fidgety Ibanez was saddled with the possibility of contemplating an 0-for-19 hitless streak for 51 hours.
But Ibanez singled in the eighth, and 1 for 19 offered some solace. "He might not have slept tonight," Manuel said Sunday. Minor victories fuel Ibanez, the 39-year-old nearing the end of a long career.
Vance Worley allowed one run on five hits in seven innings against the Red Sox. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Vance Worley allowed one run on five hits in seven innings against the Red Sox. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
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He found another awaiting Wednesday night: John Lackey was pitching for Boston at Citizens Bank Park. Ibanez drove home both Phillies runs in a 2-1 victory over the Red Sox with a single and a home run. He belted a Lackey curveball deep into the breezy night in the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie with his first home run in 90 at-bats and 30 days.
And the Phillies secured their first series win against Boston since 2003 by throwing three pitchers age 25 or less. Vance Worley, 23, started it and lasted seven innings. Michael Stutes, 24, twirled a perfect eighth. Antonio Bastardo, 25, induced three infield pop-ups for his third career save.
With the win, Charlie Manuel assumed sole possession of third place in wins by a Phillies manager. He passed Danny Ozark with win No. 595. Now he goes for the sweep Thursday afternoon with Cole Hamels on the mound.
Ibanez provided the offensive firepower. The single Sunday may have salvaged some sleep, but when Ibanez learned Lackey was scheduled to pitch in this series, his excitement undoubtedly grew.
The two had faced each other 59 times before Wednesday, and 24 times Ibanez had reached base successfully. He had hit .352 (19 for 54) off Lackey.
In three at-bats against Lackey on Wednesday, Ibanez singled, doubled and homered. He scored Shane Victorino with a single in the second. That was his first RBI in 17 days. His home run in the seventh made a winner of Worley.
Ibanez is a streaky hitter - and that could qualify as an understatement. In April, Ibanez hit .161 with a .466 OPS. Ibanez was scorching hot in May with a .315 batting average and .941 OPS. Before Wednesday, June brought a .193 batting average and .497 OPS.
Lackey lugged a 7.36 ERA into Citizens Bank Park, the worst in the majors among pitchers who had thrown at least 50 innings. He limited the Phillies to two runs, but could not contain his nemesis Ibanez.
For a few innings, Lackey, not Ibanez, was the offensive star. Worley was sharp early and pitched with poise, but encountered trouble in the fifth.
Rookie Josh Reddick, inserted into Boston's lineup for an offensive spark, singled with one out. That shouldn't have mattered because Marco Scutaro flied to center for the second out, leaving only the pitcher Lackey.
Worley jumped ahead with two strikes. Lackey fouled a fastball off, then took the next three pitches for balls. The seventh pitch was a knee-high fastball that Lackey smashed to the wall in left-center for an RBI double. It was his second career double and an outcome that Worley surely could have avoided.
Even then, Manuel displayed a great deal of trust in his 23-year-old righthander. Worley started the seventh at 96 pitches. He issued a leadoff walk to Jarrod Saltalamacchia but escaped with two groundouts and a fly ball.
In the bullpen, Mick Billmeyer picked up the phone and was instructed to tell David Herndon and Juan Perez to sit down. Billmeyer, the bullpen coach, has deemed himself "Head Hog," the man in charge of the Pig Pen full of young relievers formerly triple-A IronPigs.
First he pointed at Stutes. An inning later, he looked at Bastardo. They faced six batters. All six made outs. With Ibanez hitting and rookies pitching, there was no shortage of optimism.
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