Phillies lose 4-1 to Cubs despite strong pitching by Moyer

PHILADELPHIANow Jamie Moyer can sympathize with Roy Halladay.

A day after the Phillies ace threw a complete game but took the loss, the Souderton High graduate allowed just two runs on four hits and one walk -- stats that, hands down, should win games.

But these are the Phillies we're talking about, and when it comes to facing lefties at home, they're flat-out terrible.

For the second night in a row, the Phillies gave their starting pitcher virtually no offensive support and lost 4-1 to the Cubs on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phils are now 1-6 at home against left-handed pitchers, which includes Wednesday's loss to Tom Gorzelanny, who came in with a 1-4 record. On Tuesday, the Phillies lost 2-1 to Pittsburgh left-hander Zach Duke.

''At times, our right-handed hitters have trouble getting to lefties,'' Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. ''That's where our right-handed hitters become very important. We're looking for balance in our lineup.''

Manuel didn't get that balance on Wednesday. Phillies right-handed hitters were a combined 1-for-13 against Gorzelanny. Switch-hitter Jimmy Rollins was the one to get the hit against him, in the second inning. Left-handers Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez had the two other hits Gorzelanny gave up.

''You could see everybody's faces down,'' Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco said. ''Halladay [Tuesday] and Moyer [Wednesday], they pitched great and we weren't able to score runs for them.''

Moyer was stellar for seven innings. He allowed just five baserunners, only two of whom made it into scoring position. At one point, he retired 14 in a row.

''I probably had all four pitches working,'' Moyer said. ''I felt like I was hitting both sides of the plate. For the most part, I was ahead.''

The 47-year-old, though, usually has an issue with home runs. Coming into Wednesday's game, he had allowed 10 in seven starts. But things were different for Moyer on Wednesday. The two balls the Pirates scored on almost didn't leave the infield.

Both came off the glove of Polanco. The first was a hard two-hopper by Starlin Castro in the second inning and the other was a laser hit by Jeff Baker in the seventh.

''They were both in my glove and I almost caught them,'' Polanco said. ''That's why it's a game of inches.''

Moyer's efforts seemed futile since the Phillies, particularly Jayson Werth, were so lifeless at the plate. Werth was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He left four runners on base, including three in scoring position.

The Phillies (24-15) had plenty of chances. For the game, they were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. In the last four innings, they left six on base, including two in the ninth inning.

Ibanez drew a one-out walk and Carlos Ruiz reached when he was hit by a pitch. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload struck out, bringing Shane Victorino to the plate. On a 3-2 pitch against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, Victorino, who represented the tying run, was called out on a check swing.

''Believe me, in some ways I'm just as angry as always,'' Manuel said. ''But I feel like we're going to come out and get some runs and be fine. It seemed like two or three days ago we were scoring runs pretty quickly. Then the last two nights, we mustered two runs.''

After scoring 12 runs on Monday, the Phillies have now scored two in 18 innings.

DINGERS: Northampton High graduate Brian Schneider, the Phils' backup catcher, will go on a rehab assignment with the IronPigs. He'll play five innings Friday, seven on Saturday and nine on Sunday.

FROM THE MORNING CALL