TORONTO _ Ryan Borucki recorded just two outs in his last start before the Blue Jays left-hander faced the Phillies on Friday night. It was just five days earlier that the Yankees made Borucki look like a rookie as they chased him in the first inning. And on Friday, the Phillies made Borucki seem like a front-line starter.
The Phillies were stymied by the rookie as they fell, 4-2, at Rogers Centre. They have lost five of their last six games. Any momentum from Thursday's big win against Max Scherzer and the Nationals failed to materialize. They will have to wait until Tuesday to lean again on Aaron Nola.
The Phillies scored just twice against Borucki, who was lifted in the seventh after allowing a one-out homer to Scott Kingery. He struck out five Phillies and Kingery's homer was the lone extra-base hit he allowed. The Phils and their struggling offense had no answers as Borucki did not look like a pitcher who entered Friday with a 4.27 ERA.
Jake Arrieta allowed four runs in six innings. He was lifted in the seventh after allowing the first two batters to reach base. Hector Neris, who was casted off to Triple-A last month, ended the seventh by striking out the two batters he faced and stranding Arrieta's runners on first and second. Neris has yet to allow a run in six appearances since returning from the minors. He's recorded 16 outs, 11 of which have been strikeouts.
Arrieta struck out five, walked three, and kept the Phillies within striking distance after a shaky start. Kendrys Morales hit a solo home run off Arrieta in the second and Billy McKinney added a two-run homer in the third. Arrieta entered Friday with just two home runs allowed in his last seven starts.
With Borucki lifted, Wilson Ramos singled off Tyler Clippard with one out in the eighth. But it would not be a start of a rally. Carlos Santana flew out to center and Maikel Franco struck out swinging. The Phillies finished Friday with 10 hits, but they went just 3-for-13 with men on base and 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. All but one of their hits were singles and they failed to slap them in bunches. The Phillies brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth against former Phillies closer Ken Giles but Cesar Hernandez struck out swinging and Rhys Hoskins struck out looking.
The Phillies seemed poise to give Borucki the Yankee-treatment when Cesar Hernandez and Rhys Hoskins started the game with consecutive singles. Hernandez was driven in by Ramos. The Phillies struck early. Perhaps they carried some energy with them through customs.
An inning later,Kingery singled with one out and promptly stole second. Roman Quinn dropped a single into shallow center and Kingery was made the second out of the inning at home. The Phillies were greedy and they would fail to do much more against Borucki.
He would retire seven in a row after Kingery was thrown out at home and then five in a row before Kingery homered in the seventh. It took 25 batters, but the Phillies had finally broke through. It was just a bit too late.
