A good sales pitch
Phillies' Happ throws second shutout
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| Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ makes a delivery during Wednesday’s game at Citizen’s Bank Park against the Rockies. He threw a four-hit, 7-0 shutout. |
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was not saying who he’s going to keep in the defending World Series champions’ starting rotation. But J.A. Happ sure let his pitching do his talking Wednesday night.
The 26-year-old, left-hander out of St. Bede Academy hurled his second shutout of the season, blanking the Colorado Rockies 7-0 at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia.
He struck out a career-high 10, shutting the Rockies out on four hits. Happ received a standing ovation when he came to bat in the bottom of the eighth and according to mlb.com’s Todd Zolecki, he was serenaded to chants of “J.A. Happ, J.A. Happ” by the Philly faithful when he doubled to deep center.
At that point, the commentator on the Phillies broadcast, said, “Well, J.A. Happ has done just about everything tonight.”
The crowd of 45,129 strong cheered him for one more time, up on their feet when he caught the Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki looking on a called third strike, his 127th pitch of the night. He took a pause back to scoreboard area and was immediately embrace by batterymate Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies catcher.
A leading candidate for N.L. Rookie of the Year honors, Happ raised his record to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.74, ranked sixth among National League pitchers.
“I felt like I was capable of doing it,” Happ told the AP. “You never know if it’s going to happen.”
Manuel didn’t hesitate to let his rookie left-hander go the distance.
“He earned the right to go out there. That’s how I look at it,” he said.
Happ’s gem comes at a time with the Phillies’ starting rotation being overloaded with the recent acquisition of 2008 A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee from the Indians and the free agent signing of three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez.
Lee pitched a complete game in his Phillies’ debut, and Martinez pitched his final rehab assignment at the AA level Wednesday. The Phillies also have right-hander Joe Blanton, World Series MVP Cole Hamels, and 47-year-old lefty Jamie Moyer, who leads the club with 10 victories but sports a 5.55 ERA, leaving six men for five spots or a potential six-man rotation.
“If he didn’t allow any hits that might have been the only way he could have done better. I think he showed me he wants to stay in the rotation,” Manuel told mlb.com.
But did Happ keep his job? Manuel was not ready to show his hand following Wednesday’s game.
“Let me answer that later on,” he told the Associated Press. “I don’t want to get into that anymore. One of these days, I will answer correctly.”
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is talking, however.
“Happ’s not going anywhere. He’s not going out of the rotation,” Amaro announced Thursday. “He deserves to stay in the rotation. He has pitched very well. He’s one of our most effective starters.”
Ruiz agrees, saying “He’s got the stuff to stay in the rotation.”
So does Rockies manager Jim Tracy.
“There comes a point in time when it’s necessary to tip your hat to the other side. Happ pitched one of the best games we’ve seen all year,” he said.
When asked Wednesday if he felt as if he were pitching to keep his rotation spot, Happ told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t think one start should affect the situation, but if it did, I did well.”
Happ faced the disappointment of losing a rotation berth out of spring training to veteran free agent Chan Ho Park and the pressure of having his named bantered about in trade rumors for Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay. The one place he can leave it all behind is the pitching mound.
“I think it’s actually easier out there,” Happ said. “Out there, I can go try and do my thing. In here, that’s when I think of the other stuff.”
Happ, who earned his first shutout June 27 at Toronto, blanking the Blue Jays 10-0, would be scheduled to take his next turn Tuesday night at Wrigley Field against the very team he grew up rooting for in the Illinois Valley, the Chicago Cubs. The Phillies have yet to list that game’s starter, however.
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