Luis Valbuena worked Phillies reliever Luis Garcia for 11 pitches before reaching on a walk to open the eighth. Andrelton Simmons followed with a double to right allowing pinch-runner Cliff Pennington to advance to third. Pennington crossed the plate as the tying run on a C.J. Cron ground out back to the mound. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, Garcia uncorked a wild pitch that sailed several feet above catcher Cameron Rupp allowing Simmons to scamper home with the winning run.
“I feel bad for Luis,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. “He’s been pitching so well.”
The Phillies last won against the Angels in 2003 in a contest that featured Vincente Padilla and Jarod Washburn. The two clubs won't meet again until 2020, so the Phillies potentially could go 17 years between wins against the Angels - the joys of Interleague play.
Nick Williams collected three extra-base hits in the losing effort and drove in a pair. His OPS on the year sits at .892. Jerad Eickhoff tossed six innings, surrendering three runs. He allowed three hits and struggled a bit with his command, issuing four walks.
"I think I was trying to force things a bit too much." Eickhoff said.
Edubray Ramos, in his first appearance since a minor-league demotion, collected a pair of strikeouts in the seventh.
Knapp Pulled
Rookie backstop Andrew Knapp exited Thursday's contest in the second inning after a foul ball hit his right hand. Initial tests came back showing simply a bruise without any fractures. He's listed as day-to-day.
Back and Feeling Good
Williams sat out Wednesday's game dealing with an illness but performed extremely well on Thursday, leading the Phillies at the plate. Entering the series finale he was hitting .276 with four home runs, three triples, four doubles and 19 RBIs in 26 games since his call up to the Phillies. Aaron Altherr also was back in Thursday's lineup after sitting out Wednesday with a sore hamstring. He entered Thursday hitting .287 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs.
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