I say "crushed" despite the close score because the Phillies were hitting balls hard all evening. The game featured a 400-plus-foot homer by Ryan Howard, a jack by Jimmy Rollins, and several other extra-base hits.
On the other side of the ball, the Phillies struck out 15 batters, an incredible number. Pedro Alvarez hit a two-run homer, which is encouraging, and Neil Walker had a good night, with three hits. But the Bucs' offense wasn't nearly as impressive as that of the Phillies.
Hunter Pence made his Phillies debut after coming over in a trade with the Astros. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
The two teams finish their series at 1:35 PM on Sunday.
