Brewers-Phillies: Philadelphia Avoids No Hitter by Milwaukee’s Dave Bush

Hey Phillies, congrats on your 2008 World Series Championship! However, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s now 2009 and you are underachieving once again. Let’s run down some of the statistics before I really get into this.

Philadelphia’s pitching staff is embarrassing themselves right now. They don’t even crack the top 10 in rankings in any of the following categories: ERA, BAA, OPS, SV, WHIP, and QS…and that’s just in the National League!

Get it together. I mean, for a team with such a potent offense, they should not be under .500 right now (6-8) and be getting outscored 72-87. Then again, after Thursday’s game against Milwaukee, maybe it isn’t exactly proper to refer to this offense as “potent.”

If you did not see the news, the Phillies’ powerful lineup was held without a hit into the eighth inning on Thursday against the Brewers. Surprising, considering Milwaukee no longer has C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets. So it must have been young promising pitcher Yovani Gallardo, their unquestionable ace at the moment, right?

Nope. It was Dave Bush.

I’ll say it again, so you know that you read it correctly. Dave Bush.

Yes, this is the same Dave Bush who came into Thursday with a record of 0-0 and a 5.40 ERA. In Bush’s three previous career starts at Citizens Bank Park, he was 0-0 with a 4.86 ERA in 17.1 innings, and in six career starts against Philadelphia overall, the right-hander was 0-0 with a 5.88 ERA in 33.2 total innings pitched.

Not exactly impressive numbers. Not to mention in his last start against the New York Mets, Bush gave up three runs to New York’s lineup the first time through.

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