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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011 Chachi Almost #1 Luis Castillo

Pirates 4, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 35 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 30th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies wrapped up their exhibition season with a lazy afternoon loss against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.

What It Means:  It means the games start counting now!  The Phillies finished the spring with an impressive 21-14 record, which means absolutely nothing.  As of right now, everyone is 0-0 and tied for first place.

Top Hitters:  The Phillies managed only two hits - a Jimmy Rollins single in the first and a Pete Orr triple in the ninth.

Top Pitchers:  Starters Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton each pitched three innings, with Blanton faring better than Hamels.  Hamels was tagged for two runs on four hits, while Blanton allowed just a run on four hits.  Both pitchers struck out three.

Featured Card:  In what could be the only card in this particular 2011 Chachi insert set, I'm featuring short-timer Luis Castillo, who was released this afternoon.  (I was going to call the set the 2011 Chachi Close But . . . but I like the Chachi Almost moniker better.)  Castillo made it into seven games with the Phillies this spring, hitting .273 (6 for 22) with four walks, two strikeouts and a stolen base.  I echo the sentiment expressed by one of my favorite Phillies' blogs, Beerleaguer, who perfectly sums up the fans' feelings towards Castillo.  Thankfully, this experiment is over.

Other Stuff:  Jamie Moyer will be an analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.  To be honest, I haven't watched much Baseball Tonight since the MLB Network came on the scene.  Maybe I'll have to switch over some nights now, especially those nights when Harold Reynolds is getting to me.

Transactions:  The first transaction of the day was the release of Castillo.  Then, Rule 5 draft pick Michael Martinez was informed he had made the team and he wouldn't be offered back to the Nationals.  Finally, Orr also made the team, meaning Delwyn Young will start the season at AAA Lehigh Valley.  Orr has been added to the team's 40-man roster.

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